Bernadette Chirac, formidable former first lady of France, dies aged 93

Bernadette Chirac, the formidable widow of former French President Jacques Chirac and a key figure in his political ascent, has passed away at the age of 93. For 12 years, as France's first lady, Chirac operated as a steadfast behind-the-scenes strategist, supporting her husband through his tenures as prime minister, mayor of Paris, and two presidential terms. After Jacques Chirac retired from public life in 2007, she forged her own political path, serving as a councilor in their Corrèze constituency. "My husband no longer does politics, but I do," she declared, taking on a more active political role. Chirac was known for her dry humor and resilience in the face of her husband's well-documented infidelities, describing their 63 years together as a "long lesson in endurance." She stated, "At first it was hard. I was heartbroken. Then I got used to it... I told myself that’s how things were and I had to accept it with as much dignity as possible." She attributed her decision never to divorce to her Catholic upbringing and her deep love for her husband. Born into a wealthy, aristocratic Catholic family, Bernadette Thérèse Chodron de Courcel met Jacques Chirac while studying at the prestigious Sciences Po university. Despite her parents' initial reservations about his social standing, they married in 1956. Chirac refused to be confined to a purely ceremonial role, often employing a sharp, ironic wit in her public interactions. She famously quipped to reporters asking about rumors of her husband's whereabouts during Princess Diana's death, "Calm down. I’m not Claudia Cardinale. Or [Gina] Lollobrigida." Her last public appearance was the previous year, when a street in Brive-la-Gaillarde was named after the couple.

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My husband no longer does politics, but I do.