Salma Hayek and partner split

Salma Hayek and French billionaire fiancé split

Salma Hayek and her French billionaire fiancé have called off their long-distance engagement.

The actress's representative confirmed the news to USA Today, saying: 'We are sad to announce the engagement of Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault has been cancelled. There will be no further comment.'

Ugly Betty executive producer Salma met Francois-Henri - the CEO of PPR, the luxury-brand empire that owns Gucci, YSL and Balenciaga - in Venice in May 2006.

The couple welcomed a daughter, Valentina Paloma, in Los Angeles last September but, while Hayek continued to live in LA, Francois - who also has children from a previous marriage - was based in Paris.

Earlier this year, Salma told Glamour magazine: 'To most women it's crazy. But every relationship is unique, and in order to make it work you have to be willing to listen - not only to your partner, but to the relationship itself. You have to be brave enough to say, "This is who we are: We might not look like the perfect couple, or like our parents did, but this is our love story."'