The Mexican actress speaks openly about the prejudices about her wedding with the billionaire François-Henri Pinault
"14 years ago I met my soul mate," the interpreter wrote about her husband in an Instagram post in April of last year. "After the test of time and even the test of quarantine, I feel so blessed to have found you, and the more I discover you, the more my love for you grows. Happy anniversary, my love." Now Salma Hayek has wanted to get out of the rumors in Hollywood that ensure that she only married the French businessman François-Henri Pinault for money. The Mexican she participated in the podcast 'Armchair Expert' and spoke honestly about her marriage to the billionaire, whom she met during an exhibition in Venice. "Can I say something briefly about your husband? What a nice and generous guy," began the show's host, Dax Shepard. "I'll be completely honest, until now I didn't know who he was, I just read a headline saying you married a very rich man and I thought, 'Maybe she married him just because he was so rich.'
"You can't tell from the photos what a good person he is. But he made me a better person," Salma replied. "When I married him, everyone was like, 'Oh, it must be an arranged marriage, she's marrying him for her millions.' We've been together for fifteen years and we're still deeply in love. I don't even get offended by those comments anymore." Pinault is president of the luxury fashion conglomerate Kering, owner of brands as important as Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent or Balenciaga, and although Salma is well aware of what is whispered behind her back, since her husband's fortune is estimated at seven billion dollars, believes that "there is also discrimination against the rich". "People think that because someone is rich they can't be a good person," she added. "There are too many prejudices against rich people."
About her marriage, the Mexican continued that "my husband has many responsibilities and a long list of tasks. But when he is home, he always has a big smile on his face and is happy to see me and the girl. When we leave on vacation, she disconnects completely. She is joy personified". Salma and François-Henri were married on Valentine's Day 2009 in Paris – after being separated for a year – and they have a daughter, Valentina Paloma Pinault, 14 years old.
