[1] Comparini studied law at Lyon, graduating in public law, and worked at the Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française (former French national broadcaster, equivalent to the BBC) and the Institut national de l'audiovisuel (broadcasting regulator) before becoming parliamentary assistant to Raymond Barre from 1978 to 2001.

Between 1995 and 2001, she was adjutant to Raymond Barre in the Lyon Mayoralty, charged with city policy and universities.

Charles Millon's election to the Presidency of the Regional Council of Rhône-Alpes was invalidated by the State Council in 1999, at which time she was elected to lead the region, largely thanks to the support of the Union for French Democracy who refused to participate in Millon's alliance with the National Front.

In the same month (June), Patrick Devedjian famously called her a salope ("slut") on-camera on the Lyon metropolitan television channel.

[2] Although a regional councillor promised to head the list of candidates for the Lyon municipality, she nevertheless announced her decision to withdraw from politics in September 2007.