She’s the woman raising eyebrows in France’s political race — and she’s not even one of the candidates.
As the competition heats up all eyes are on Brigitte Trogneux, 64, the wife of breakout candidate Emmanuel Macron, 39, who could become the next President if he beats anti-establishment stalwart Marine Le Pen in the final round of the French Presidential elections.
Trogneux is nearly 25 years older than her husband and used to be his French and drama teacher before leaving their shared northern hometown of Amiens and following him to Paris.
The notoriously private couple have recently stepped into the spotlight as the former Finance Minister left the socialist party in order to form his own movement En Marche! which is translated as Onwards or On the Move.
The former investment banker has laughed off unsubstantiated reports he is having a secret affair with a male French journalist saying it must be his body double given his wife supports him 100 per cent.
“If you’re told I lead a double life … it’s because my hologram has escaped,” he said.
The pair married in 2007, reportedly falling in love after meeting at a high school where she worked as his French and drama teacher.
Ms Trogneux is from a wealthy family of chocolatiers and has three children and six grandchildren. She told Paris Match magazine she was pursued by her husband from a young age.
“At the age of 17, Emmanuel said to me, ‘Whatever you do, I will marry you!’” she said as the couple posed on holiday at a nudist beach in France.
If her husband becomes France’s next president, Brigitte Macron will be the most unusual first lady France has ever seen.
While French first ladies have a chequered history — making headlines for excessive spending, extra-marital affairs, treason and even murder — they’ve never been as central a figure in the formative years of their husbands’ lives as Brigitte has been for front-runner Emmanuel Macron.
Brigitte Macron, who is 24 years older than the candidate, has been his guide and coach since he was 15, and is playing an active role in his campaign, advising him on speeches and effectively helping set his agenda.
“Emmanuel Macron wouldn’t have been able to embark on this adventure without her,” said Marc Ferracci, a campaign adviser and a witness at the couple’s 2007 wedding. “Her presence is essential for him.”
With two weeks to go before the decisive round of the vote, multiple polls show that Macron will defeat the far-right National Front’s Marine Le Pen with a large margin.
In a speech on Sunday after winning the first round of the vote, the 39-year-old candidate thanked Brigitte, for being “always present.”
Without her, “I wouldn’t be who I am,” he said, as his supporters screamed out her name. The couple was spotted hand-in-hand in all public sightings on voting day.
Source: Agencies
