For more than fifteen years, Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault form one of the most glamorous and powerful couples in the world of cinema and luxury. She, a Mexican actress who became an international star. He, heir to a French empire and major figure of Drythe group behind houses like Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga. Their story has often aroused curiosity, sometimes even criticism, due to the businessman’s immense fortune. However, the actress has always defended the sincerity of their love, while claiming her independence. Together, they have weathered storms from which they have managed to recover.
Who is François-Henri Pinault, Salma Hayek’s husband?
François-Henri Pinault is one of the big names in French luxury. Son of François Pinault, founder of the family group, he took the helm of Dry in 2005 and has long held the functions of Chairman and CEO of the groupbefore remaining chairman of the board of directors after the arrival of Luca de Meo as general manager in 2025. Under his leadership, Kering established itself as a global luxury giant, owner of prestigious houses such as Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen. He also chairs Artémis, the Pinault family holding company.
The Pinault family fortune remains one of the largest in France. According to Forbes, François Pinault and his family are still among the world’s great fortunes thanks to their stakes in Kering and Artémis. A financial power which explains why Salma Hayek’s husband is regularly presented as a billionaire.
How did Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault meet?
The destiny of Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault was played out in Venice in 2006, during the inauguration of the Palais Grassi. According to several accounts of their meeting, the boss of Kering, who came accompanied by his brother and sister, only had eyes for the star of Fridapresent alone at the event after the withdrawal of Penélope Cruz.
Love at first sight seemed immediate. The two future spouses never left each other, quickly formalized their relationship and welcomed, in September 2007, their daughter Valentina Paloma. On February 14, 2009, Valentine’s Day, they said “yes” to each other during a civil ceremony organized at the town hall of the VIᵉ arrondissement of Parisbefore celebrating their union a second time a few weeks later in Venice, surrounded by their loved ones and many personalities.
How many children do Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault have?
Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault have a daughter together, Valentina Paloma Pinaultborn in September 2007. Coming of age in 2025, the young woman sometimes appears alongside her mother during public events. For her 18th birthday, the actress paid her a particularly tender tribute on Instagram, describing her as a force of nature and the “fille de ses rêves†.
The French boss is also the father of three other children from previous relationships: François and Mathildeborn from his first marriage with Dorothée Lepère, as well asAugustinborn in 2006 from his short affair with Linda Evangelista. This blended family now seems to have found a peaceful balance. The Canadian model has already welcomed the place taken by Salma Hayek in this family organization, telling in particular how much the actress had shown herself to be present for her and her son.
“She married him for his money”: how Salma Hayek silenced rumors about her marriage to the billionaire
This is one of the most hurtful criticisms that the actress has had to face. Since her marriage to the French businessman, some have insinuated that she had married him for his fortune. Podcast guest Armchair Expert by Dax Shepard in 2021, the actress brushed aside these rumors with her usual frankness. “When I married him, everyone said: ‘Oh, it’s an arranged marriage, she married him for the money’†, she said, before responding: “Think what you want.†Above all, she recalled that after more than fifteen years together, their relationship was still strong.
Far from the image of a woman dependent on her husband’s fortune, Salma Hayek on the contrary claims her autonomy. In an interview with Wall Street Journal Magazine relayed by several media, the actress revealed that she had not signed a prenup, but that the couple kept their finances separate. The star also explained that she felt personal pressure to earn her own money, proof that she wants to maintain her independence despite her husband’s immense assets.
Who shared Salma Hayek’s life before François-Henri Pinault?
Before meeting François-Henri Pinault, Salma Hayek experienced several publicized love stories in Hollywood. The best known remains the one with the American actor Edward Norton. Together between the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, the two actors formed a star couple for a long time. Their relationship ended after several years, but they remained on excellent terms. Edward Norton also became one of the producers of the biopic Fridaworn by Salma Hayek in 2002, proof that their separation never damaged their mutual esteem.
The Mexican actress was also briefly associated with the actor Josh Lucas at the beginning of the 2000s, before devoting himself fully to his career. After several very exposed relationships, she no longer hid having a more peaceful vision of love. It was finally in 2006, during his meeting with François-Henri Pinault in Venice, that she will find the one she describes today as her life partner.
Dorothée Lepère and Linda Evangelista: the women who marked the life of François-Henri Pinault before Salma Hayek
Before meeting Salma Hayek, François-Henri Pinault had already built a family. Marié à Dorothée Lepère de 1996 à 2004the businessman became the father of two children, François and Mathilde. After their separation, he had a brief relationship with Canadian model Linda Evangelistato whom a son, Augustin, was born in 2006. For several years, the birth of the latter gave rise to a bataille judiciaire très mediatisée in the United States, Linda Evangelista having demanded an increase in the alimony paid by the French billionaire.
Far from the tensions of that time, the blended family today seems to have found its balance. In an interview given to InStyle in 2025, Linda Evangelista a même salué la relationship entre son fils et Salma Hayek. The top model said in particular that the Mexican actress had welcomed Augustin with great kindness and had never made a difference between him, Valentina and the other children of François-Henri Pinault. A rare testimony which illustrates the peaceful bonds maintained today by the different members of this blended family.
