Salma Hayek and her husband François-Henri Pinault were among the distinguished guests at the grand reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral on December 7, 2024. This event marked the end of a five-year, $600-million restoration following the 2019 fire that devastated the historic Paris landmark.
Pinault, the CEO of luxury conglomerate Kering and one of France’s richest individuals contributed over $113 million to reconstruction efforts through his family holding company, Artemis. This donation formed a part of the crucial funding of restoration from France’s wealthiest families.
“I am like many others shocked and saddened to witness the beauty of Notre-Dame turn into smoke,” said Hayek, remembering the tragic incidents of 2019. “I love you, Paris.”
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More than 1,500 people, including 50 heads of state, attended the reopening ceremony, which celebrated the collective strength and determination of the world to witness everything ahead in future years. Other prominent dignitaries like US President-elect Donald Trump, wife of US President-elect Jill Biden, and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky paid homage to the rebuilt cathedral, while ahead of them were some cultural figures like Salma Hayek.
Hayek, 58, and Pinault, 62, who married in 2009, are widely known for charitable causes. They were at their power-couple-most as an authenticated celebrated couple in France for this event, and Pinault heads Kering, which is the parent company of brands like Gucci, Saint Laurent, and Alexander McQueen. The two met in 2006 at a gala in Venice and since then, have had a glamorous and charitable life together along with their 17-year-old daughter, Valentina Paloma.
Rev. Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, rector of Notre Dame, remarked, “The event is basically great. It’s a wonderful symbol of unity, a beacon of hope. Something impossible is now possible.” As Emmanuel Bourdon proclaimed the new beginning for Notre Dame, contributions from patriarchal figures like Pinault emphasized the common effort to save one of the world’s most treasured landmarks.