Salma Hayek split with her fiancé and father of her baby daughter, French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault. The two met in Venice in May of 2006 and announced their engagement and Salma’s pregnancy in March of 2007. Hayek has long said she doesn’t need marriage, and even though the two were engaged, she made many conflicting statements that made it sound like she wasn’t certain if she wanted to ever formally marrying Pinault. Hayek issued a statement through her rep, which of course gave next to no details.

Salma Hayek and French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault — the father of her daughter Valentina — have called off their engagement.

“We are sad to announce the engagement of Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault has been canceled,” Hayek’s rep said in a statement to USA Today. “There will be no further comment.”

Hayek, 41, told the April issue of Glamour that she didn’t feel the “need” to get married. “Do I think we are going to get married? Probably. Will it make a difference? I hope not,” she said. “You want to grow old with someone, you want to have a partner and to have children — we have all those things,” Hayek added. “Some people need the commitment. Maybe we’ll just make the party!”

[From Us Magazine]

The pair definitely had an unusual dating strategy. They had a long distance relationship, which generally is hard on most couples. Though most couples are only able to afford to drive ten hours once a month or something, whereas billionaire Pinault could probably afford to charter his own time machine and portal to wherever Salma was.

Salma told Oprah that living far apart kept their relationship fresh.

When Salma got engaged to French businessman Francois-Henri Pinault, she says they initially had every intention of getting married after a traditional engagement. “…After I got pregnant, I don’t know why, [but] the [ceremony] part of it is not necessary because we have such a huge commitment for each other. I don’t know that we have to go through the rituals.”

Salma and Francois-Henri have a unique relationship—they are based in different cities and spend most time separated by an ocean. Still, Salma says they see each other often. “Every time he comes, it’s an event. And every time I go, it’s the same and it’s so romantic and it’s so exciting. And the time we spend together, it’s 100 percent quality time. And then the time we’re not together, I have 100 percent quality time to my baby, to myself, to my career,” she says. “So for us, it works. Now, it’s not an open marriage. Nobody think this is too modern and don’t get the wrong idea—the level of commitment is exactly the same.”

[From Oprah]

Unfortunately it sounds like it didn’t work for them in the end. While it’s sad, from what she’s said in the past it sounds like Salma will be fine. The relationship obviously meant a lot to her but wasn’t her whole world. Hopefully everybody involved will be able to pick up and move on peacefully.

Here’s Salma Hayek and her daughter Valentina in Malibu on Sunday. Header of Salma and Francois-Henri at the Costume Institute Gala on May 7th, 2007. Images thanks to WENN.

The powerful women of the movie industry gathered last night at the Women in Film Crystal and Lucy awards, hosted by Aisha Taylor. Salma Hayek was honored for the success of the show she produces, Ugly Betty. In her acceptance speech she said that 41 was the best time of her life:

“I’m 41 now,” she said while being honored at Tuesday’s Women in Film Crystal+Lucy Awards. “And I have to say, it is the best time in my life.”

That prompted Jada Pinkett Smith – who was also being recognized, along with her costars from the upcoming chick flick, The Women – to shout out, “You look good!”

Hayek – who gave birth to daughter Valentina Paloma last September with billionaire fiancé Francois-Henri Pinault – said she is finally coming into her own.

“I have learned to enjoy time to be a woman. I have learned to enjoy how to do the most that I can with what I have,” the Ugly Betty producer explained. “It is a good thing to be a 41-year-old Latina woman in America.”

She also gave a shout out to fellow Latina Eva Mendes (another star of The Women), who responded with a loud, “I love you, Salma!”

[From People.com]

Salma also said she wanted Ugly Betty to be accessible for everyone, with a focus on Latin people. “I wanted it to be different than anything I was seeing on television. I also wanted Latin people to feel excited and proud that there was something on television that sort of belonged to them, but I wanted the American audience not to feel alienated from it.” [via]

Shown last night are Cameron Diaz, Nicole Richie, Eva Mendes, Maria Bello, Annette Benning, Jada Pinkett Smith looking like she sucked a lemon, Meg Ryan, Debra Messing, Holly Robinson Peete, Debi Mazar and Rumer Willis. Thanks to WENN for these photos.

The first reviews are in for Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, which had its much-anticipated premiere at Cannes yesterday, and they’re mixed. A critic for Britain’s Telegraph calls it “creaky” with bad dialog but admits that it has rollicking good special effects. The overall consensus is that it’s a lot of fun, but that the plot leaves something to be desired.

The Pirates of the Caribbean films weren’t well reviewed either, but there was plenty of action and eye candy and they sure cleaned up at the box office. The fourthIndiana Jones movie is likely to do the same.

Here’s the latest trailer. Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull is out in the US and in most countries on May 22:

And here are pictures from the premiere yesterday, including Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Salma Hayek, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart, Aishwarya Rai, Linda Evangelista, Billy Zane and Kelly Brook (who are probably back together) and Goldie Hawn. Cate Blanchett always looks gorgeous.

In honor of Mother’s day on Sunday, USA Today has new quotes from some celebrity moms on how being a mother has changed their lives. I have a three and a half year old son, and some of these quotes really made me nod and others got me a little choked up. There is nothing that I’ve experienced in life that has changed me more than being a mother. I especially related to what Kate Hudson said about how you have to be careful how you influence your children because they’re so observant. Maybe it’s because we both have sons around the same age, but her thoughts really rang true to me. Most everyone said that being a mother has influenced them to try and be a better person.

Kate Hudson says Ryder, 4, has made her slow down and appreciate more

“I’m very impatient. I like to get things done. I move fast. Patience has been something he’s teaching me. Your children teach you so much. It’s a real mirror of yourself. You recognize the things you do directly affect your children. It hopefully allows you to be more conscious of them and yourself and your actions. When you have kids, it goes so fast. I felt like I was pregnant last weekend, but he’s 4 and he’s talking and he’s gathering his ideas and learning who he is. It’s so easy to step in and fix things and make everything right, but you have to let him figure things out on his own. That’s one of my favorite things to do, to watch how they treat other kids and how they observe other people. Your life becomes about your children. I wake up every morning and I hear his voice, and that’s my favorite thing in the world. There’s nothing like it.”

[From USA Today]

Helen Hunt says her daughter Melenka, 3, inspires her to be calm and relaxed

“It gives me real motivation to try and be the person I want to be. You tell them to be patient. But they’ll do what you do and not what to say. If I want her to be relaxed, I have to be relaxed. Or at least try as hard as I can to seem relaxed. If I want her to be patient, I have to be patient. If I want her to be kind, I have to be kind. I have a deep wish for her to be happy and serene, and it makes me want to do everything I can to be happy and serene.”

Thandie Newton says her daughters Ripley, 7, and Nico, 3, inspire her to be a better person

“I’ve learned the value of stripping it down to the basics: love, respect, compassion, stillness, to be interested, to be able to absorb the moment. I remember the first time Ripley saw her shadow. My god. It was like shadows had just been invented. It was the most exquisite moment. And it was just dish to me. To actively attempt to be a good mother is basically attempting to be a good person. I never look at my kids and feel that they’re mine. I am their caretaker. They own the joint. It’s a privilege to be able to take care of them. With my first daughter, I remember waking up and thinking, ‘My god, I get to be her mum again today. Wow. It’s amazing.’ They just take my breath away. All I do is serve themselves back to themselves. My job is just to provide a secure environment where they can just be themselves. It’s the cycle that keeps going forward. You give to them, so they can give to their kids. You have to be delighted by that.”

Salma Hayek on how Valentina, 7 months, brought out a pure kind of love in her

“You learn so much. Listen to her. She’s in the background. Do you hear that strange noise she makes (like a purr, or a rolled r)? It’s the French in her. It’s hilarious. What I learned as a mother is that I have a strong love for things. But the quality of your love gets jaded over the years as you get beat up. What motherhood did to me, when she was born, the amount of love that started pouring out of me was completely pure. Anything anyone ever did to me was erased by this energy. I relearned how to love everything around me, too. My baby is the best thing that has happened to me in my life. It’s the most amazing thing.”

Kate Hudson and Ryder are shown out on 3/22/08 in Miami, thanks to Splash News.

Salma Hayek was on Oprah yesterday and she talked about her six-month-old baby, Valentina Paloma, and her long distance relationship with the father of her baby, Francois-Henri Pinault.

On waiting to have a baby until she was 41
“It’s a little nerve-racking to wait that long, but it’s the best time to have it because you’ve done so many other things in your life. You just get it out of your system, and you can really relax into being a mother, which is the best thing that can happen to you. If you’re 23, you don’t know this because you think you have to do so many more things. But if you already did them, then you can really focus and enjoy every minute of it.”

She said later in the show that pregnancy happened naturally for her, and that “I thought I was going to have to work really hard at getting pregnant because of my age, but then I just got pregnant.”

On saying that she was hoping to have a boy
“I remembered how hard it is to be a woman. And I chickened out, and I said, ‘Oh, my God, I hope I get a boy.’ Because I just think they have it easier.”

But Salma said a doctor incorrectly told her at first that she was going to have a boy, and that her boyfriend, Francois-Henri, told her he really believed it was a girl anyway. Salma said “I remember when they told me it was a boy I was a little disappointed. So I think I really wanted a girl or I knew it was a girl. And then when she was born, I was so happy. Having a girl is the best.”

On choosing the name for her daughter and spoiling her

Salma says she picked the name “Valentina” for her daughter because it means “courageous one” in Spanish. “Then, one night, I got really nervous that she was going to be like a revolutionary,” Salma says. “And I said, ‘I better compensate with another name that’s a little softer.’ So I named her ‘Paloma,’ which means ‘dove’ in Spanish. She’s a ‘courageous dove.’”

Does Salma spoil Valentina Paloma? “She is so spoiled,” Salma says. “And I will not apologize for it.”

[From Oprah.com]

On having to work hard to lose weight after the baby
“Yes, and I’m still working on it. I gained a lot of weight, I had gestational diabetes. The pregnancy was really difficult for me. I thought, as soon as this baby is out, I’m just going to lose the weight super fast, because I’m going to breast feed, and everybody tells you that if you breastfeed it’s going to come out like this, it’s a lie! It’s not true.”

On not starving yourself to make sure your baby is healthy in the first months
“Except for a couple of exceptions, the only reason people lose weight like that when they’re breastfeeding, it’s because they’re not eating and they’re breastfeeding, and this is not good for the baby. You know how they tell you it takes nine months to get it, nine months to lose it? There are shortcuts, but it’s not good for the baby. So I’m taking my time. I’ve lost a lot, most of the weight, and I’m very proud of it because it’s been really hard work studying what kind of food to eat that’s healthy for me, healthy for the baby. But I’m still losing even if it’s slow, and I’ve been working out… and the rest is going to go when it’s time to go.”

On not needing a marriage license for a commitment
“After I got pregnant, I don’t know why, [but] the [ceremony] part of it is not necessary because we have such a huge commitment for each other. I don’t know that we have to go through the rituals.”

“[Men] have to work every day to continue to keep you wanting to marry them. They have to work at it a little bit, so it’s sort of sexy. I know people, once they get married, something happens, and I don’t know what it is, but something happens, and then they are not as in love with each other.”

On her long distance relationship

Salma and Francois-Henri have a unique relationship—they are based in different cities and spend most time separated by an ocean. Still, Salma says they see each other often. “Every time he comes, it’s an event. And every time I go, it’s the same and it’s so romantic and it’s so exciting. And the time we spend together, it’s 100 percent quality time. And then the time we’re not together, I have 100 percent quality time to my baby, to myself, to my career,” she says. “So for us, it works. Now, it’s not an open marriage. Nobody think this is too modern and don’t get the wrong idea—the level of commitment is exactly the same.”

[From Oprah.com. Quotes transcribed from video and thanks to Oprah.com. Commentary is original except where blockquoted.]

Salma also talked about her campaign with Pampers to eradicate tetanus in the third world through vaccinations. Every time you buy a specially marked pack of Pampers, they will donate the money for a vaccination shot to UNICEF.

As for losing weight from breastfeeding I have to say that it didn’t really work for me either, probably because I craved carbs a lot while I was doing it. I lost weight at first, but it was those last 10-15 stubborn pounds that wouldn’t budge without a lot of work and I had trouble dieting. It’s also harder to find the time to work out and eat right when you’re caring for a little one. When I was single I never realized how much work it was to be a mom, and I only have one kid. Kudos to all those moms who are raising more than one.

Oprah says baby Valentina is “like a little fresh pup”
And one more thing - when Oprah showed that cute first picture of Salma with her daughter, Valentina, Salma cooed and Oprah said she was “like a little fresh pup.”

I understand the deep love people have for their pets, but it kind of bothers me when people compare my child to their dog, and this happens often for some reason.

Here’s the video of part 1 of Salma’s interview. I’m working on finding part two.

Thanks to the Huffington Post for the heads up on this story and to Oprah.com for the photos.

In terms of parental faux pas, there are few as big as admitting you wanted your kid to be something other than exactly what they are. Salma Hayek made a pretty big one recently when she admitted to Glamour that she hoped her six-month-old daughter Valentina would be a boy. A word of advice, Salma. Telling a magazine is not the same thing as telling a friend. Little Valentina will be using this against you in every fight the two of you have for the rest of your life – and deservedly so.

“I have something to confess, I wanted a boy.”

Why?

“Probably because I was afraid,” she says. “I think women suffer more a bit more than boys, and there is always conflict between mother and daughters. But now that she’s here, I’m so happy she’s a girl,” Hayek goes on to say. “And I can’t imagine there ever being conflict between us, because I’m in a state of innocence where I love everything she does.”

[From US]

Even if somehow little Valentina never hears this story from a friend on the playground, I’m pretty sure she’ll come across it at some point. That’ll do wonders for her self-esteem, and the mother-daughter relationship. Salma tried to recover a bit, and made some good excuses. But if that kid hears that story anytime before the age of ten, there’s no way Salma’s reasoning will help Valentina out. Salma is engaged to Valentina’s father, French businessman François Henri Pinault, but doesn’t seem to be 100% certain that the two will get married – and doesn’t need the big wedding.

“Do I think we are going to get married? Probably. Will it make a difference? I hope not. I don’t have a need for marriage.

“You want to grow old with someone, you want to have a partner and to have children — we have all those things,” she says.

“Some people need the commitment. Maybe we’ll just make the party!”

[From US]

At first I really liked it when celebs were saying they didn’t care if they got married – it made it sound like they had other stuff going on in their lives and their commitment to a partner was deeper than a ceremony. But so many people are saying it that it’s starting just to feel like the trendy attitude to have. Not to push Salma into it or everything, because I know I have a lot of sway with her. I’d also suggest she burn every copy of Glamour, just to be safe.

Here’s Salma Hayek at the Global Green USA’s 5th Pre-Oscar Party on 2/20/2008. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Salma Hayek has come out with the first photo of her newborn baby, Valentina Paloma Pinault, who was born on either September 20 or 21, depending on which reports you believe.

Instead of letting the paparazzi take the first pictures or getting a million dollar payday for an exclusive magazine spread, Salma chose to release the photo herself and let everyone run it! It’s credited to the Associated Press and I’m not sure what photo licensing agreements they have, but it’s being run in several different papers today.

Salma and little Valentina look gorgeous, and maybe the two month-old has some gas, but doesn’t she look like she’s going to be a little comedienne? She’s got the cutest expression on her face, like she wants to crack a joke about something but doesn’t know how yet.

Salma is engaged to French billionaire businessman François Henri Pinault. There was a rumor right before Valentina was born that Salma might be secretly married, because she has a credit card issued to Salma Hayek-Pinault and is said to refer to François Henri as her husband. There is another story that Salma is planning three large wedding ceremonies to take place in LA, Paris and her hometown in Mexico.

Salma Hayek and her fiance, French businessman François Henri Pinault, have had a baby girl named Valentina Paloma Pinault, her rep confirms. It is unknown when the baby was born, and no other details are available.

That’s great news for Salma and François Henri, congratulations!

The next big step for these two will be a wedding. Salma is said to be planning three wedding ceremonies to take place in her hometown of Mexico, her new home of LA and her fiance’s town, Paris. There was a rumor a short while ago that Salma referred to François Henri as her husband while she was at her baby shower, and she was said to have a credit card issued to Salma Hayek-Pinault, so there is speculation that she might already be married.

We look forward to seeing photos of the happy family once everyone is settled.

A couple of weeks ago there was a story that Salma Hayek was planning a triple wedding to take place in three different cities that would put Eva Longoria’s over-the-top nuptuals to shame. The heavily pregnant Mexican actress was going to hold ceremonies in her hometown of Mexico, in Paris where her fiance, Francois-Henri Pinault, is from, and in LA.

All that might be for show, because there are small clues Salma is dropping that suggest she’s already married.

On a visit to tony L.A. department store Fred Segal on August 15… when it was time to pay for her purchases, Salma plopped down a Visa card issued to Salma Hayek-Pinault. Ten days later, during the baby shower at ther Hollywood Hills home, the Oscar nominee kept calling Francois-Henri, who was there, her “husband.”

A civil ceremony makes sense, says an insider, explaining, “For Salma, the thought of having a baby out of wedlock was unacceptable.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, September 17, 2007]

The article says that Salma still plans on having her multiple weddings despite the fact that she might be already hitched.

Salma recently said that she won’t move to Paris after her baby is born and that she will stay in LA to work on her production company making films for a Latin audience.

When you have your baby, are you going to stay in the U.S. or move to France?

Hayek: I’m going to stay and run this company. I had to make a choice. . . . I could just say I will give it all up and be a housewife in Paris. But I said, “No.” I was so lucky because I found myself a man who is a great businessman. And he loves it that I work this hard. He has a lot of respect for what I do. . . . He knows how important this is to me. This is a mission. We have been working for this all our lives. It’s a breakthrough, and in my lifetime, I want to see a change.

[From LATimes via Celebrity Baby Blog]

Salma is said to be due sometime soon, and she looks like she’s carrying a big baby. It is thought that Salma is having a girl, as gift cards at her baby shower on August 25th were made out to “Valentina.”

There was also a story in last week’s Enquirer about how very pregnant Salma refused to take a handicapped parking space at Fox studios when she was there for a business meeting. She said she wouldn’t want to take the space away from a handicapped person and walked quite a way to get to her meeting.

Congratulations to Salma and Francois-Henri if this news is true. She certainly doesn’t need to have a huge wedding with lots of guests to get married properly, but if she wants that too more power to her.

Salma and Francois-Henri are shown at the Costume Institute Gala on 5/7/07 thanks to WENN.

Salma Hayek, 40, is due to give birth to her first child in January later this Summer, according to Celebrity Baby Blog. Her fiance, 45 year-old Frenchman Francois-Henri Pinault, is the head of the company that owns labels like Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, and Balenciaga.

With Salma’s star salary and her husband-to-be’s wealth, they can certainly afford any kind of wedding they can dream up, and Salma is sparing no expense. She’s said to be planning three fabulous ceremonies, one in her Mexican hometown, another in Francois-Henri’s base of Paris, and yet another in LA. The guest list will number over 300 for each reception!

[Salma Hayek] wants to hold ceremonies in her hometown in Mexico; in Paris, where her billionaire fiance is from; and in L.A., where she’s currently based, an insider tells Star!

Salma wants to invite 300 of their closest family and friends, including BFFs Penelope Cruz, Demi Moore and America Ferrara, to each of the receptions!

[From Star Magazine print edition, August 20, 2007]

The article goes on to quote the insider as saying that Salma’s wedding “Will blow Eva [Longoria]’s gathering out of the water.”

That’s awesome, although the last time I heard of a celebrity couple holding multiple receptions, it was Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock and we know how well that worked out.

Salma is going to be seven months pregnant though! That takes nerve to throw a huge wedding when you’re that far along. I got married after I had my baby as it was not a big priority for us to be married before he was born. It seemed easier for us to wait.

With three huge ceremonies and Salma’s celebrity friends in attendance there are sure to be plenty of pictures. I wonder which magazine she’ll sell the exclusive rights to. Maybe Hello!, or perhaps she’ll split it up among the glossies. You can’t blame her. She could probably pay for the whole thing with the money she’ll get for photo rights.

Update: Thanks to commentor Kim for pointing out that Star was wrong about Hayek’s due date. Celebrity Baby Blog estimates that it is later this summer. It looks like she will give birth before the wedding.

Salma and her fiance are shown in the header image at the Costume Institute Gala on 5/7/2007. Thanks to PRPhotos.