- By Shivangi Sharma
- Mon, 26 May 2025 10:55 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
French First Lady Brigitte Macron recently went viral after a video surfaced showing her seemingly playfully slapping President Emmanuel Macron during their arrival in Vietnam for a diplomatic visit. While the gesture appeared harmless, it reignited global fascination with their personal life, particularly the age gap and the beginnings of their relationship.
Brigitte Macron is 72 years old, while President Emmanuel Macron is 47, making her 25 years his senior. Their age difference has long been a topic of international discussion and media scrutiny, not least because of how and when they met.
The pair first encountered each other in 1992 at La Providence, a Catholic private school in Amiens, France. Brigitte was a married mother of three and a drama and literature teacher, while Emmanuel was just 15 years old, a student in her class and a classmate of her daughter Laurence.
Family Concerns And Separation
Once Macron's parents discovered the nature of their relationship, they were deeply concerned. Assuming he was dating Brigitte’s daughter, they were stunned to learn he had romantic feelings for his teacher. They quickly sent him to boarding school in Paris, hoping distance would end the relationship. But the couple stayed in contact.
Brigitte divorced her husband in 2006, and a year later, she and Macron married. At that time, he was 29 and she was 54. By then, she had raised her three children and said she wanted to prioritise her own life and happiness.
Brigitte’s Perspective On Age Gap
Brigitte has spoken openly about the emotional and social difficulties of their unconventional relationship. In interviews, she described how anxious she was in the beginning, fearing that Emmanuel would eventually want someone closer to his age. “My head was a mess,” she told Paris Match. “But I didn’t want to miss out on my life.”