Salma Hayek, Pinault cancel engagement

Actress Salma Hayek poses at the Women in Film 2008 Crystal and Lucy Awards in Beverly Hills, California June 17, 2008. Hayek has called off her engagement to Francois-Henri Pinault, a French businessman and father of her daughter, a representative for Hayek said on Friday.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Salma Hayek has called off her engagement to Francois-Henri Pinault, a French businessman and father of her daughter, a representative for Hayek said on Friday.

"We are sad to announce the engagement of Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault has been canceled. There will be no further comment," Cari Ross, Hayek's spokeswoman, said in a statement.

Hayek, 41, and Pinault, 46, are the parents of a baby girl named Valentina, born in September several months after the couple announced their engagement.

The Mexican-born Hayek was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of artist Frida Kahlo in the 2002 film "Frida." Kahlo was a Mexican painter. Hayek is also executive producer of U.S. television comedy "Ugly Betty," and the actress has performed in several episodes of the hit ABC show.

Pinault is head of French company PPR, a holding company that specializes in retail shops and luxury brands. The company's subsidiaries include the Gucci brand of consumer goods and French book and music retailer the Fnac.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Todd Eastham).