Since landing her breakout role in 1995’s Desperado, Salma Hayek has become one of the most in-demand actresses in Hollywood. When it comes to her life outside of the spotlight with her daughter, Valentina Paloma Pinault, she’s simply known as “mom.” The mother-daughter duo have stepped out for a few rare appearances together over the years.
Salma became a mom to her only child in 2007 with her husband, François-Henri Pinault. The couple got married on Valentine’s Day in 2009. The French businessman is also a dad to three kids from previous relationships. In the early years of Valentina’s life, Salma and François kept their daughter out of the spotlight.
As their little one got older, the proud parents brought her more frequently to red carpet events, film premieres and fun family outings. The From Dusk Till Dawn actress has also opened up more about becoming a mom and balancing fame with the help of her hubby.
“We support each other in everything we do,” the Academy Award nominee told Closer in February 2017. “We don’t have a strong social life because we really like to spend time together.”
The Eternals star went on to add, “Sometimes the hardest thing to balance is motherhood with marriage, because [children] take over! Oh my God, they take over everything.”
Still, Salma wouldn’t change her relationship with her daughter for the world. During a June 2021 appearance on Red Table Talk, the Mexican-born actress shared that her daughter speaks Spanish, English and French. She opened up about raising a teenager on the popular Facebook Watch series.
“I’ve been learning to get out of the way … to let them be who they are,” the Emmy winner said. “To give them the chance to take the chance to be unique. And that is not easy. And when you give them a voice, the first person they use it [on] is you.”
A year prior, she explained that doing school remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic was a hard stage for Valentina to get through.
“Lockdown was very difficult for teenagers,” she explained during a September 2020 interview with The Telegraph. “My daughter Valentina was very independent and did her online schoolwork on her own, but she didn’t enjoy it. She also really missed her friends.”
Through it all, Salma is grateful for all the time she gets to spend with her daughter and the memories they continue to make together!
Keep scrolling to see rare photos of Salma’s daughter, Valentina, over the years.
Closer
