AceShowbiz - Salma Hayek has taken her husband's last name for the sake of the couple's two-year-old daughter. The Mexican beauty welcomed a daughter, Valentina, with Francois-Henri Pinault in September 2007, and married the French fashion executive 17 months later.

But the tot was becoming curious as to why her parents didn't share the same last name - and the innocent question convinced her mum to make the switch. The actress tells U.S. magazine InStyle, "It was Valentina's request. I didn't think about it until she brought it up."

"We were shooting a film, and she saw my chair with my name on it. She says, 'What does it say there?' And I said, 'Salma Hayek.' And she said, 'What about Pinault? Why not Pinault?' Because people here (in France) say 'Madame Pinault'."

And Hayek is thrilled to show her solidarity with her family as she continues her new life in France. She explains, "I said to myself, 'This is who I am now. I'm starting a whole new life. I've never been happier. Why shouldn't I share it with the people who have been supporting me my whole career, who have been with me since the beginning?' "

"I'm a private person, but I should let them in on the fact that I'm a different person, and a better person. It's a new life."