Wife of new UK Labour leader moves to Downing Street 10

Marie-France van Heel, the wife of the new UK Labour leader, is set to move into 10 Downing Street. Born in the Netherlands and raised in Belgium, she is known to her closest friends as Frankie. Her university years at Fitzwilliam College were marked by her reputation as 'the coolest girl on campus,' according to The Times.

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I must say, it was the realization of my future wife.

Van Heel met her future husband, Andy Burnham, in 1989 when she was a first-year student and he was a second-year studying English literature. Burnham once joked that meeting his future wife was the best part of his studies. The couple, both born in January 1970, eventually married in March 2000, shortly after the birth of their first child, Jimmy. They later had two daughters, Rosie and Annie.

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I think marriage is better for children.

Their marriage has faced significant challenges. Marie-France van Heel underwent a double mastectomy after discovering she carried the BRCA gene for breast cancer, a disease that claimed her sister Claire at the age of 39. Burnham described the decision as liberating, stating it removed a cloud of fear. He noted her decision was influenced by the devastation cancer had caused her sisters and mother.

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My first thought was: 'Oh my god, we have to get married'.

Currently, Van Heel is the marketing director at Iduna, a company that owns a significant portion of Manchester's electric vehicle charging network. She is fluent in three languages and has previously worked in marketing for Sky and the BBC. Reports suggest she also assisted in designing campaign posters for her husband.

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The decision was liberating, as it dispelled the cloud of fear.