Who is Andy Burnham's wife, Marie-France van Heel?
"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'."Their daughters, Rosie and Annie, were born a few years later while the couple were living in Manchester.Rosie and Jimmy work for drinks brand Jägermeister and the Royal College of Nursing respectively, while Annie has just graduated from Cardiff University. Neither van Heel nor the children are expected to move into Downing Street, but nothing has been confirmed about where their rescue dog Axel will live.
- ▪"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'."Their daughters, Rosie and Annie, were born a few years later while the couple were living in Manchester.Rosie and Jimmy work for drinks brand Jägermeister and the Royal College
- ▪Neither van Heel nor the children are expected to move into Downing Street, but nothing has been confirmed about where their rescue dog Axel will live.
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Who is Andy Burnham's wife, Marie-France van Heel?Image source, PA MediaImage caption, Marie-France van Heel was at her husband's side as he became Prime MinisterByJennifer McKiernanPolitical reporterPublished24 June 2026Updated 26 minutes agoShe was described as the "coolest girl in college" when she first started dating Andy Burnham.More than three decades later, Marie-France van Heel has walked into Downing Street alongside her husband to take on one of the most powerful unofficial roles in government - the prime minister's spouse.Burnham has replaced Sir Keir Starmer in No 10, and he met Dutch-born van Heel, known as Frankie, when she started studying at Fitzwilliam College at the University of Cambridge in 1989.He was in his second year of an English Literature degree, and Burnham's…
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