Salma Hayek never thought she would enjoy life as a housewife

WENN, Tuesday, March 1, 2011, 12:22am (PST)

Salma Hayek has finally settled into her new role as a full-fledged housewife after spending the early years of her courtship with Francois-Henri Pinault fighting the idea.

The "Frida" actress was a big Hollywood star when she met the French businessman and entrepreneur in 2006, and they became engaged after a whirlwind romance.

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But Hayek, who wed Pinault in 2009, admits she was firmly against the thought of leaving Hollywood behind to start a new life in Paris, because she was convinced she would hate spending all her time indoors.

She tells the New York Times Style magazine, "The first thing I panicked about was moving. I got scared. I said, 'I'm not moving to Paris to be a housewife.' And he said, 'Fine, we'll be different.' It's sort of exciting to have a different kind of marriage.

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"He knew I was going to end up [in Paris], but he said the right thing! Before I knew it I was spending most of my time here, and I love it."

Hayek has now fully embraced her duties as a wife and mother to their 3-year-old daughter, Valentina, and admits she revels in being the perfect housewife.

She says, "I am a housewife. Do you cook every night for your husband? I do. I am most definitely a housewife. And a good one, I must say!

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"He's very low-key. Our life is great and glamorous in many ways, and in many ways -- in the good ways -- it's very homey."