Brigitte Macron recently grabbed headlines after a video showed her lightly slapping French President Emmanuel Macron in a seemingly playful moment during their diplomatic visit to Vietnam.
Though the gesture appeared lighthearted, it reignited public interest in the couple’s private life—especially their significant age gap and the origins of their relationship.
Brigitte Macron is currently 72, while President Macron is 47, creating a 25-year age difference that has drawn global attention for years, especially due to how and when their relationship began.
They first met in 1992 at La Providence, a Catholic private school in Amiens. Brigitte, then a teacher of literature and drama, was a married mother of three. Emmanuel Macron, only 15 at the time, was her student and also a classmate of her daughter Laurence.
Family Intervention and Their Reunion
When Macron’s parents learned about his feelings, they initially believed he was dating Brigitte’s daughter. Upon discovering the truth, they were alarmed and moved him to a boarding school in Paris, hoping to break off the connection. Despite the distance, Emmanuel and Brigitte stayed in touch.
Brigitte eventually divorced her husband in 2006 and married Macron a year later. He was 29; she was 54. Having already raised her children, she chose to focus on her own happiness and future.
Brigitte’s Take on Their Unusual Relationship
Brigitte has candidly shared the emotional challenges she faced due to their age gap. She admitted to feeling uncertain and worried in the early days, fearing Emmanuel might later want someone closer to his age. “My mind was in turmoil,” she told Paris Match. “But I didn’t want to miss out on my life.”