Cherie Blair told Carla Bruni to 'keep on singing'

London, July 10 : Carla Bruni-Sarkozy reveals that it was advice from Cherie Blair that helped make up her mind about whether or not to complete her new album.

The French First Lady is set to release her third album - Comme si de rien n'etait - later this month, and she told French radio station Inter, that Mrs Blair's advice made her more determined to continue singing, reports The Telegraph.

When asked if she ever considered quitting due to her marriage, Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy said: "It is 2008. Women often keep their jobs when they marry, even when they marry someone with such an important job as my husband."

"Tony Blair's wife told me that people also took a dim view of her carrying on her career as a lawyer, that she was in court every day.

"She insisted on keeping her profession, that it was fundamental for her. She had to: they've got a lot of children."

Her change in status will however mean that she will not be touring to promote the album.

Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy's record label Naive has also confirmed that 14 tracks of the album will be available for free on www.carlabruni.com from 08.30 BST until July 21.

The yet-to-be-released album will be sold internationally as "Simply", and royalties will go to charity.

ANI