Out of all the presidential pairings listed, French First Lady Brigitte Macron is the only first lady to be older than her husband. Brigitte is 24 years older than French President Emmanuel, whom she met in 2007 while working as a high school teacher. The documentary “Brigitte Macron: A French Novel” (per The Times) claimed that Emmanuel had first admitted he was in love with his teacher, Brigitte when he was just 16 years old. Emmanuel’s parents allegedly pleaded with her to hold off on a relationship until he turned 18, to which she reportedly said, “I can’t promise you anything.”
Brigitte has no regrets about the way her relationship with her husband evolved, telling Elle France (via ABC News), “Of course, we have breakfast together, me and my wrinkles, him with his youth, but it’s like that. If I did not make that choice, I would have missed out on my life.”
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Emmanuel was first elected president in 2017 and was reelected again in 2022. He is credited for his work to diminish the economic impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic by spending trillions on furloughs and tax breaks. The president also put controversial labor law reforms into action in France, leading to a lower unemployment rate amidst protests from worker’s unions. Brigitte has championed her own initiatives while serving as first lady, including founding the LIVE (Institute of Vocations for Employment) project in 2018 for job-seekers over the age of 25.
