Born in Iskretz, Bulgaria, she arrived in France when she was 10.
She married the French rocker Johnny Hallyday on April 12, 1965 in Loconville. They have a son, David Hallyday (who is also a singer), born David Michael Benjamin Smet on August 14, 1966. Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan were France's "Golden Couple" of their generation. They divorced on November 4, 1980.