Angelica Rivera, Mexican Telenovela Actress to Become First Lady

Famous Mexican telenovela actress Angelica Rivera will become Mexico's next First Lady when her husband President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto, assumes office in December.

Pena Nieto, of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), had 37 percent of the vote Sunday, more than 4 percentage points ahead of its rival Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, according to preliminary results. However, official results of the election are yet to be revealed.

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Rivera, 41, also known as "La Gaviota" (Seagull) for one of her telenovela roles, stood next to her husband as he delivered a victory speech to cheering supporters late night Sunday.

"I want to thank - and let me do it at this place and moment - especially to my wife Angelica, our children, my siblings, my mother, to all my family for their support throughout these months of campaign. Their love and comprehension have brought me this far. Thank you very much for always being with me," Pena Nieto said in his speech to the applause of his supporters.

Rivera turned to Facebook to celebrate the victory of Pena Nieto and posted an image of the politician with the message “Mexico won. President 2012.”

Political analysts say Pena Nieto and Rivera's relationship was an orchestrated attempt to make his campaign succeed.

"The fusion of these two characters is extremely attractive for the public," TV critic Alvaro Cueva told the Associated Press. "It is the first time we see a candidate arm in arm with a telenovela star."

Rivera and Pena Nieto married in November 2010. The couple met in 2008 when he was the Governor of the State of Mexico when she joined his campaign.

Rivera has three daughters from a previous relationship with producer Jose Alberto Castro.

Pena Nieto has three children, two daughters and a son, from his previous marriage to Monica Pretelini who died in 2007. Pena Nieto has called accusations that he was responsible for the death of his first wife “abominable.”

Pena Nieto also admitted to fathering two children with a mistress during his first marriage. He told Mexican newspaper El Universal, that one of the children died at age 1 from a malign tumor.

Rivera's last soap opera was "Destilando Amor" (Distilling Love" in 2007 where she starred as an agave plant harvester known as "La Gaviota" (The Seagull) who falls in love with Rodrigo, the son of the hacienda's owner.

Watch Rivera as "La Gaviota" below (Rivera sings the musical theme of the telenovela "Distilling Love"):