In brief: In an interview with Paris Match, Brigitte Macron unveiled the beginnings of her relationship with Emmanuel Macron — their meeting in Amiens, the declaration at 17 years old, the divorce, and an attachment that has never yielded despite obstacles.
Their story has fascinated for years. Long before the Élysée, long before the spotlight, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron built an extraordinary relationship, born in the hallways of a high school in Amiens. A relationship that the First Lady agreed to recount with rare candor, shedding light on the founding moments of this unique couple.
A meeting in Amiens, between theater and writing
It all starts in Amiens in the 1990s. Brigitte Auzière teaches literature at La Providence high school. Emmanuel Macron, on the other hand, is just a high school student passionate about theater and writing. It is in this setting — the Friday writing workshops, the rehearsals — that an intellectual complicity is first born between them, then something much deeper.
In her interview with Paris Match, Brigitte Macron describes this gradual shift, this mutual attraction that asserted itself despite the circumstances:
“Writing brought us together every Friday and triggered an incredible closeness. He had a great influence over me… I felt that I was slipping, and so did he… I then asked him to go to Paris, to Henri IV high school, for his final S year. He assured me that he would come back. It was heartbreaking. We didn’t break the thread.”
The declaration at 17: “Whatever you do, I will marry you”
The distance between Paris and Amiens did not cool the feelings. On the contrary. Brigitte Macron recounts that the distance made their relationship even more intense, fueled by a rare determination for a teenager. She remembers a phrase that will remain etched:
“On the contrary, it became passionate and, at 17, Emmanuel told me: ‘Whatever you do, I will marry you!’ Love swept everything away and led me to divorce. Impossible to resist him. My parents, already old, didn’t want to know too much… As for me, I had been used to age differences since childhood. The main thing was to protect my own, who accepted these upheavals. The rest is just froth.”
This declaration, made when Emmanuel Macron was 17 years old and Brigitte 24 years older, says much about the character of the man who would become president. An unwavering conviction, expressed in adolescence, which was realized in 2007: the couple married in Le Touquet, after Brigitte Macron divorced her first husband, André-Louis Auzière.
The divorce, the external gazes, the family
The relationship has not been without its bumps. Brigitte Macron speaks with humility about the weight of the gazes, the necessity of protecting her children and loved ones from an unusual situation. At that time, she assumed a double life — a family mother, a respected teacher — while living a story she could not yet make public.
She emphasizes one point: her priority has always been to “protect her own.” Her three children — Sébastien, Laurence, and Tiphaine Auzière — eventually accepted this reality, even if the path was not easy.
First Lady but never in the shadows
From the Élysée, Brigitte Macron has defined her own role: present, attentive, but without an official function. She describes a daily support system, consisting of constant exchanges with the head of state:
“If I take life lightly, I nevertheless have my ear to the ground. And like every evening, we debrief together and repeat to each other what we’ve heard about one another. I must be attentive to everything, do my utmost to protect him.”
An informal yet real role, which makes her far more than just a simple companion. Brigitte Macron is described by those close to the couple as a confidante and a keen observer of French political life.
A story that continues to fascinate
Nearly thirty years after their meeting in Amiens, their relationship remains one of the most commented upon in French public life. The age difference — 24 years — the context of their meeting, the divorce, the promise kept: all elements that fuel a lasting fascination, well beyond the political circle.
As for Brigitte Macron, she takes ownership. She does not seek to rewrite history or downplay its rough edges. She tells it as it unfolded — with its breaks, its impulses, and its share of inevitability.
FAQ — Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron: their story
- How did Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron meet?
- They met in Amiens, at La Providence high school, where Brigitte taught literature and theater. Emmanuel Macron was then her student, passionate about writing and theater.
- How old was Emmanuel Macron when he declared he wanted to marry Brigitte?
- He was 17 when he told her: “Whatever you do, I will marry you.” A promise he kept.
- What is the age difference between Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron?
- Brigitte Macron is 24 years older than Emmanuel Macron. She was born in 1953, he in 1977.
- When did Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron get married?
- They married in 2007 in Le Touquet, after Brigitte Macron divorced her first husband André-Louis Auzière.
- Does Brigitte Macron have children?
- Yes, she has three children from her first marriage: Sébastien, Laurence, and Tiphaine Auzière.
- What is Brigitte Macron’s role at the Élysée?
- She has no official function but plays a role as a confidante and daily support to the president. She describes a constant exchange with him about what they each observe on their own.
