Salma Hayek Pinault and husband on their global efforts to support survivors of violence

We are thrilled and thrilled is a word to welcome Ms. Salma Hayek-Pinot and her husband, that's Francois-Henri Pinot, I love his name. He's the chairman and CEO of the Caring Group and together, they have helped create the Caring Foundation, K-E-R-I-N-G, to end violence against women. So it collaborates with local organizations in Italy, in Mexico, in France, South Korea, the UK, and the US, of course. And over 16 years, they have helped, listen to this, one million survivors of violence. Last night, I was really, really lucky, I got to emcee their annual Caring for Women dinner, which raised a lot of money last night. Salma and Francois-Henri are here, only on CBS Mornings. Listen, it was a late night, but I said, some things are worth staying up late on a school night. Agree? Agree. Yes, Angel was amazing. I know, but we're here to talk about you two. Because Salma, you say this, you say it's important to bring celebrities, philanthropists, and charities all under one roof. Why was that important to do it that way? Because I was saying to the crowd, this is so much more than a lights, camera, action moment, putting on a pretty dress, and everybody looks so good. It's so much bigger than that. Yes, and you know, Gayle, you will know this, because we started doing this work many years ago, for me, more than 30 years ago. Yes. And it was not a popular subject. Nobody was talking about it. Nobody wanted to help it. Way before Me Too. Yeah. Nothing. And so, we're living in a different time. Yeah. How important it is for all of us to come together and do it together. So, of course, the Caring Foundation, it's been doing it for 15 years. Yes. Fighting against violence against women, and empowering women. But all of a sudden, we saw that it started to grow the family. Yes. So, last night, the Caring for Women Dinner, it's a celebration of that, and it's inspiring. It's not just about the money. It's about giving a platform for the NGOs to be known by other people, and for them to feel a part of something bigger, and for all the other people to also be inspired and motivated and work together. But I think, Francois, it starts with you in many ways, because it's called the Caring Foundation. You're from the region CARE, K-E-R, which means home in your language of France. And so, you've been caring for a long time, and now it's C-A-R-I-N-G for the purposes last night. Why does it matter to you? Because back in the day, men certainly of your stature and in your position were not even thinking and talking about this. Yeah, well, it comes to my education. I've always been convinced that any corporation, whatever the size, should have a commitment that goes beyond being successful financially, making profit, there's something more. We need to commit to our communities to last longer. It's my vision of companies, of corporations. So, when I transformed my company into this luxury group, I was looking for what commitment should make the most sense for me. And at the time, I met my wife, I was in sixth, and I discovered the reality of violence on women. I thought it was remote from where I was living. I know, it's all over. It doesn't matter your economics, it doesn't matter your color, it doesn't matter. Social classes everywhere. So, you know, being a father of two girls, I think this awareness brought by Salma to me on that phenomenon of violence on women, and having a company that is mostly made of women, majority of my employees are women, and we are dealing with women customers to a very large extent. The majority of your employees are women? Yeah, 63%. One of the most feminist companies in the world, definitely for luxury. So you put all that together and then you say, well, that's the commitment I want for my company, for myself, for my family, for my kids, and we started from there. But you gave a great example when you were talking about something you read about a bear and women and men, and how that struck you. Yeah, I mentioned that because it was last summer, there was this question asked to women on TikTok that went viral, which is, if you're a woman and you are in a forest and you run into a bear, would you rather run into a man or into a bear? Yeah. And believing or not, most women chose the bear. So as I said, it's not just an anecdote, it's like a call to action for me, because it means that it's the failure that we've been running to by protecting women, by giving them dignity, preserving them from violence. So it's a very meaningful anecdote, this TikTok. Just to feel safer with a bear. And you know what I love? That when I met him, yes, he became aware because I was doing the work, but I never told him, you should be doing this. It was completely his initiative. And that's when I fell in love with him. And he said, I think it's time to redefine luxury. Yes, yes. And I thought that was so beautiful. I mean, look at the two of you, the two of you have been together for 18 years now. So I'm wondering when you first met, this is for both of you, what attracted you to each other? The wealth, the brains, the heart, or the looks? Actually, I was embarrassed to be seen with him. Why? Because I was very strong in my activism. You were not embarrassed, yes. No, I was very strong in the activism, and I didn't want to lose credibility. And then he was just so charming, and so interesting, and so much fun. And it just kept going and going, and love doesn't have to be really difficult. It was kind of, it still is kind of easy. It still is easy. Salma is a woman that wants, I always wanted to have an impact, and she's been doing this for 30 years. And I have the same vision through my companies. Not just here, as I said, for financial, I want to have an impact on my communities as the head of the company. And we discovered that in common between each other. We want to always be better and better human beings. Not just at what we do, and in our family, we do strive to be better in many different layers. Guess what, guys, it's working. It's working. Congratulations on the success last night. I can't wait to see what you do next year, because there are always people that need help, and you all are always there to help the right companies. Thank you both. Thank you. I really appreciate it.