A 1967 Laundry Detergent Ad Features Young Nicholas Sarkozy

French President Nichlas Sarkozy modeled in a laundry detergent ad as a teenager to help his divorced mother Andree Sarkozy make ends meet.

Nicholas Sarkozy, the French leader infamous for his unconventional approaches to personal fitness, women and religious freedoms, is making headlines again, this time for posing in a laundry detergent ad from 1967. The President-to-be was 12 years old at the time, and allegedly starred in the ad to make some money to help his divorced mother. Moreover, the shot was made by Sarkozy's own father Pal Sarkozy who worked as an illustrator for Bonux.

The brand that Sarkozy advertised was called Bonux, one of the leading brands of washing powder back in the day. In the ad, Sarkozy is a cute, blond boy, playing with a toy airplane that back in the day came in the packaging with the washing powder. In the script he was telling a story about flying to China. His hair was also artificially tinted for the ad.

The ad was never hidden away from the public, but surfaced in French newspapers only yesterday.