50 Top 10 Lists of 2007

Top 10 Breakups

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#1. Nicolas and Cécilia Sarkozy

French voters have long shrugged off presidential extramarital affairs, but this year saw the first divorce of a French president while in office — a president whose wife and son were the centerpiece of his public image. In 2005, Cécilia left Nicolas for another man; in 2006 she returned, and the couple maintained an image that helped Nicolas get elected in May. Nevertheless, afterward, Cécilia rarely attended public events. By October the announcement of the end of the Sarkozys' troubled 11-year marriage was widely expected. Now that they are divorced, Nicolas will embark on a true experiment in statesmanship — dating.