Paris, March 6 (IANS): Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni are all set to take legal action over a secret recording of them where she refers to him as a "kept man".

The recordings were made by journalist Patrick Buisson and leaked by the Canard Enchaine investigative magazine.

In the tapes, the multi-millionaire heiress (Bruni), notorious for her high living, is also heard complaining about having to "keep" her much poorer husband.

In the recording, made during the 2012 election campaign in 2011 by a senior aide to Sarkozy, Bruni-Sarkozy said she looked forward to making money out of selling "wrinkle cream" like US stars Julia Roberts and Sharon Stone.

Sarkozy was defeated by Socialist candidate François Hollande in the May 2012 presidential poll.

Revelations that Buisson, who was part of Sarkozy's inner circle, recorded hours of talks with the conservative leader and his entourage caused uproar in the opposition Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party, weeks before local elections.

Buisson can also be heard referring to Sarkozy as "the dwarf" in the tapes.

Sarkozy is expected by many to contest the 2017 presidential election after being defeated by Francois Hollande two years ago.