Ooh la la! A look at 'pregnant' Carla Bruni's saucy $8,000 photograph

The news that political pin-up Carla Bruni may be pregnant will no doubt come as a blow to her legion of male admirers.

While the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy will be swapping her famously stylish designer dresses for an elasticated waistband, fans of political totty will have to content themselves with Sally Bercow, the wife of House of Commons speaker John, as well as the vintage allure of Pauline Prescott, wife of John Prescott, the former deputy prime minister.

French perfection? This photo of Carla Bruni sold for £5,000

However, one lucky collector has a keepsake that may well improve with age: a photo of Bruni from her modelling days.

The 1992 work by Helmut Newton sold for £6,875 at last year's Phillip's de Pury & Co's auction, far exceeding its £5,000 top end estimate.

Entitled Carla Bruni with Family Photos, the piece was signed, titled, dated and numbered 1/10 in pencil by Newton.

The sale was a clear indication that attractive women in the political world can prove highly popular with collectors and investors, although the chances of unearthing a hitherto unknown Norma Major centrefold are, thankfully, slim.