Carla Bruni, who married Sarkozy after his election victory of 2007 and turns 44 in December, was trounced in the popularity poll contest versus Anne Sinclair, 62-year-old wife of Socialist Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who polls also tip as the man who could thrash Sarkozy if the two face off in 2012.
64 per cent of pollers chose Anne-Sinclair ahead of Carla Bruni
Italian-born Bruni, who has quit the catwalk for a career as a celebrity-singer, secured 31 per cent of voter preferences in the survey, versus 65 per cent for Sinclair, Strauss-Kahn's New York-born wife, a star television journalist in the 1980s and 1990s.
The same survey, conducted this month suggested Strauss-Kahn could trounce Sarkozy if he ran against him, showing he enjoyed as large a preference margin as his spouse Sinclair commanded over first-lady contender Bruni.
Asked which of the two men they preferred, 64 per cent of respondents chose Strauss-Kahn and 33 per cent Sarkozy.
The respective first ladies-in-waiting are no strangers to intense media attention and they face increasing scrutiny after recent sorties that suggest they could play active supporting roles as the presidential contest looms larger.
Sinclair, whose reputation as a heavyweight has outlived her role as the prime-time TV star who quizzed the cr me de la cr me of French politics, set the French media alight last week when she said she did not want her husband to do a second IMF (International Monetary Fund) stint.
However, Bruni has been no less active than Sinclair, appearing regularly at the conservative president's side in affectionate poses as he seeks to convey a softer image.
Previous polls had suggested Bruni was popular with as many as two in three French people.
French Anthem
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy will reportedly record a cover of a classic song which was championed by France's resistance fighters during World War II.