Sarko favourite Ferrari ousts PPDA for France’s key TV job

Long before he was swept of his feet by Carla Bruni, President Nicolas Sarkozy was thought to have enjoyed a romantic relationship with the beautiful French TV newscaster Laurence Ferrari (pictured at the Cannes film festival last month). Whether this was true or not, it has certainly paid dividends for her career: it was announced yesterday that she will take over as the anchor for France's most watched news programme on the TFI Channel, outing the former incumbent of that post, Patrick Poivre d'Arvor.

The French President is believed to have had more than a little influence in getting 41-year-old Ferrari the job. She used to only be used as a weekend back-up presenter when she worked at TFI two years ago. But TFI's owner, billionaire Martin Bouygues, is a personal friend and supporter of Sarkozy. Laurence is considered "Sarko-friendly", whereas Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, who has presented the show for the last 21 years, most certainly isn't.

The ousted presenter, known in France as 'PPDA', got under Sarkozy's skin from the start. Not long after his election last May, PPDA asked him if he sometimes felt like a "little boy in the big boys' playground". Sarkozy, 5ft 5in tall and sensitive about his height, snapped back: "It's very nice of you to present things in that way, M Poivre d'Arvor."