IT IS the whirlwind romance that has got the world talking.

In the short time that they have been together, pictures of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, 52, and his Italian-born pop star girlfriend, Carla Bruni, 40, have been splashed in newspapers everywhere.

Now, less than three months after he ended his 11-year marriage with his second wife, Cecilia, 53, and fell into the arms of his new squeeze, there is already talk that Mr Sarkozy will be marrying ex-supermodel Bruni.

Signs that you're on the rebound

WHILE going on a rebound may make you feel temporarily better, experts agree that it is not a good idea as you may realise later that the person is not right for you and have to go through another breakup.

DOUBLE TAKE: Another sign of rebound is when your current partner looks like your former, the way Carla Bruni (above) resembles Cecilia Sarkozy with their dark hair and high cheekbones.

So what are the warning signs that you are on the rebound?

» If you have not worked through the issues of your last relationship and are still grieving over it. » If your current relationship is very intense and one-dimensional, like it is based only on sex or physical needs. » If the other person is an obvious mismatch - perhaps much older or younger. » If you keep having to justify to yourself why the new relationship is the right one. » If the new relationship fizzles out too quickly and loses its shine. » If you still find yourself pining for the person you lost. Information provided by Dr Adrian Wang, a consultant psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre.

He has refused to confirm or deny those rumours, although he has recently declared that the relationship is 'serious'.

But another unanswered question lingers: Is Mr Sarkozy's newfound love the classic example of a 'rebound'?

For the uninitiated, the 'rebound' takes place when someone who has just suffered the breakup of a serious relationship commits to another one too quickly.

Some signs are certainly there. For instance, it may not be a coincidence that the two women - tall, slim and with brunette hair and sharp, attractive features - look similar to each other.

Australian relationship expert Allan Pease points out that people who are on a rebound look for a replacement for their old flame to relive what they loved about that first relationship.

'As such there is a tendency to find someone who looks the same as the ex, because the exterior is the first thing they see,' he tells LifeStyle.

They may then project positive traits of their old lover onto the new object of their affection, often ignoring the negative aspects of this new person.

Going on a rebound is also something that men are more prone to do - twice as likely as women, according to Mr Pease's own observations - because men are more visual creatures.

Dr Adrian Wang, a consultant psychiatrist from Gleneagles Medical Centre, notes that people who are emotionally needy and cannot stand loneliness are more likely to go on a rebound.

'It takes their mind off their failed relationship and gives them a sense of confidence. Plus it reaffirms their image as a still attractive and desirable person,' he says.

Experts agree that rebounds are generally not healthy because they happen at a time when the person is unable to make emotionally sound decisions.

Indeed, the person on the rebound rarely realises it, or sees it as a rebound.

'It's like how an alcoholic will never feel that he has an addiction,' says Mr Pease.

Dr Vanessa Keleher, an associate consultant psychiatrist from National University Hospital, points out that rebounds often fail because people are entering the relationship for the wrong reason.

'They haven't had time to work through the grieving process or resolve issues from their last relationship,' she says.

In their haste to find someone to fill the emotional void, they often choose an unsuitable partner, while convincing themselves that the romance is right.

In fact, when a relationship ends, a person needs time to deal with the loss. He goes through the stages of anger and sadness, before finally accepting the loss, understanding why it happened and getting ready to enter a new relationship.

It is similar to grieving for a death - an 'irrevocable loss' - when a person must adjust to an uncertain future where their partner is no longer a part of their lives.

'One should have gone through all those things first before embarking on a new relationship,' says Dr Wang. 'If not, you may be doing it for selfish reasons - to temporarily feel better. It's unfair to the partner in your new relationship.'

Mr Pease says that one generally accepted guideline states that it takes a person one month to get over a relationship for every year that the person has been in it.

In other words, someone who has been married 11 years should take 11 months to recover emotionally from it.

But the length of time between the two relationships does not determine if something is a rebound, even though it is often used as a gauge.

'If the person had already become emotionally detached from that relationship long before it ended, then they may have already come to terms with its demise,' notes Dr Keleher.

'Emotionally, they may be ready to enter another one, even immediately after their breakup.'

That is why the experts maintain that they cannot know for sure if someone like Mr Sarkozy is on a rebound unless they have the details of his relationships.

But the marriage of the Sarkozys had already been on the rocks since 2005. They both had affairs and briefly lived apart, but got back together again in a blaze of publicity at the start of 2006.

And while chances are slim, it's not impossible to meet Mr Right immediately after a breakup either.

Dr Wang, for instance, encourages his patients who have just gone through a breakup to go out and meet new friends.

'Just be sure that you have worked out the issues from your last relationship if you want to start a new one,' he says.

'Be very clear why you are entering this new relationship and understand that the dynamics might be totally new. It's not to replace the old lover you lost.'