Brigitte Macron First Met Husband Emmanual Macron When He Was 15 — She Was 39 Years Old

A fair amount of drama entered the chat of French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte when the couple was caught allegedly arguing. The incident occurred in May 2025 as President Macron and the First Lady arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam for a five-day state trip, reported The New York Times.

As the door to their plane opened, half of President Macron was visible. Suddenly, an outstretched hand with a red sleeve shoved the president's chin. His hand snapped back and as he noticed the open door, President Macron immediately gathered himself and flashed a smile for the waiting press. The person responsible for the push was later identified as Brigitte, thus sparking rumors about marital issues. Let's take a look back at their controversial relationship timeline.

Emmanuel and Brigitte met when she was a teacher at his high school. At the time, 39-year-old Brigitte was teaching drama and was already married with three children. She told Paris Match (via the New York Post) that she was a mess. "I told myself that he would fall in love with someone his [own] age. It didn’t happen."

When Emmanuel's parents discovered the inappropriate relationship between their son and the older woman, they sent him away to boarding school. They kept in touch and when Emmanuel was at university, he would frequently go home to visit Brigitte. After Brigitte's divorce was finalized, the couple married in 2007. She was 54 and he was 29.

While chatting with RTL radio station in June 2019, Brigitte admitted that their relationship isn't perfect. "Being a couple is complicated, it's an everyday struggle," she said. "When you have a big age difference, it can be even more complicated." She also said the word "cougar" doesn't apply to her as she has always been attracted to men her age, with one exception.

After their wedding, Emmanuel and Brigitte focused all their attention on his political career. She quit her job as a teacher and when Emmanuel became finance minister in the government of Francois Hollande in 2014, Brigitte acted as a consultant. His decision to run for president wasn't an easy one, given how their relationship would be reported on by the press. They certainly took some hits but in 2017, Emmanuel was elected president of France at age 39.

After the video of Brigitte pushing Emmanuel went viral, the French president was forced to address what happened. He described their interaction as something they "often do," adding that they were "bickering and rather joking around," reported The New York Times. "I’m surprised by it, it turns into some kind of global catastrophe where people are even coming up with theories to explain it," he said. "It's nonsense."

In November 2017, Brigitte spoke with Elle France about her husband and their relationship. All eyes were on the newly elected president of France, and his rather unorthodox marriage. She said anything anyone says about their age gap is "just a big nothing." Had she made a different choice, Brigitte would have missed out on the incredible life the couple built together. "Of course, we have breakfast, me with my wrinkles, him with his fresh face, but that’s how it is," she said.