Marie-France van Heel is set to become the new "first lady" of Number 10 as her husband, Andy Burnham, prepares to become Prime Minister on Monday. The Greater Manchester mayor will take over after no other Labour MPs challenged him, ensuring a swift coronation. Van Heel, like her predecessors Lady Victoria Starmer, Samantha Cameron, and Cherie Blair, has largely stayed out of the public eye but will now face intense scrutiny.
Who is Marie-France van Heel?
Van Heel, known to friends as Frankie, is a Dutch-born marketing executive who has been married to Burnham for over 25 years. The couple met at the University of Cambridge in 1989 and have three adult children: Rosie, Anne-Marie, and Jimmy. She has built an impressive career, working at Sky and the BBC in marketing departments and later becoming chief strategy officer for the campaign designer Heavenly. She also designed some of Burnham's campaign logos, including a cartoon illustration of the former Manchester mayor.
Her marketing expertise has occasionally raised questions about conflicts of interest. She served as chief marketing officer of Iduna, which owns large parts of Manchester's electric vehicle charging network. However, Burnham stepped away from decisions about Iduna and declared his wife's job. According to her LinkedIn profile, she currently serves as a board member for Plan International, a humanitarian organisation, and has worked with charities such as Great Ormond Street Hospital, Marie Curie, and The Alzheimer's Society.
How did Andy Burnham meet his wife?
Burnham and van Heel met at the University of Cambridge in 1989. Burnham was in his second year at Fitzwilliam College when van Heel joined him to study English. The pair became an item around 1992, but their romance was put on hold when van Heel appeared on the hit TV dating show Blind Date. Burnham reportedly gave his permission but admitted to watching the show from behind a sofa. She was matched with contestant Will Harris, who later became the marketing director of the Conservative Party. Fortunately for Burnham, the romance with Harris was short-lived, and van Heel rekindled her relationship with the soon-to-be Prime Minister soon after.
Does Andy Burnham have children?
Andy Burnham and Marie-France van Heel have three children: daughters Rosie and Anne-Marie, and son Jimmy. Like their mother, they have kept out of the limelight and away from Burnham's political career. In 2007, Burnham told the Daily Telegraph that the birth of their son Jimmy in 2000 prompted the couple to get married: "When my wife got pregnant for the first time it was a complete shock. My first thought was, 'Oh my God, we'll have to get married'." The family also has a bichon frise named Axel. Van Heel used to share photos of the dog on social media but has since deleted all her accounts.
What are Marie-France van Heel’s hobbies?
Van Heel has been an active donor to Cancer Research UK, often participating in the charity's Race for Life. She underwent a double mastectomy in 2010 after discovering she carried the gene for breast cancer. Her sister Claire had died from the disease at age 39. At the time, Burnham told the Daily Mirror: "The decision was liberating rather than depressing because it's lifted the cloud of fear. She did what she did because she'd seen the devastation breast cancer had caused to her sisters and mother. We more than most know what could have happened and we had to find a way to get beyond it."
