They walked hand-in-hand into the victory rally, embraced and kissed on stage: Emmanuel Macron, winner of the first round of the French presidential election, and his elegant blonde wife Brigitte.

At the lectern, the man now expected to beat Marine Le Pen in round two – despite not having had a political party until starting the En Marche! movement a year ago – made sure to thank all those who had helped him get so astonishingly far.

Then he turned, smiled at her and thanked the most steadfast supporter of them all, his wife Brigitte: “always there, and what’s more, without whom I wouldn’t be me.”


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The watching crowd chanted its approval. Her name echoed around the hall: “Brigitte! Brigitte! Brigitte!”

It was to any English observer who knew the back story, a charming reminder that if he wins the final round in a fortnight’s time, Mr Macron will continue the fine French presidential tradition of having a love life to boggle and amuse stolid Anglo-Saxon minds.

Aged 64, Ms Macron is a grandmother-of-seven and 25 years her fresh-faced 39-year-old husband’s senior. Even better, perhaps, they met when he was 15 and she was his married, private school teacher – with a daughter of the same age, in the same class.