A short viral clip showing France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron appearing to push away President Emmanuel Macron’s face during their arrival in Vietnam has reignited public speculation about their relationship. While some online users interpreted the gesture as a slap, President Macron later clarified it was simply a playful moment between the two.

Speaking to the media after the incident went viral, Macron dismissed the reaction as exaggerated. “We were just joking around, and somehow it was blown out of proportion. People are turning this into a global catastrophe. Everyone needs to calm down,” he said. His office also released a statement calling it a “moment of closeness” and accused conspiracy theorists of taking advantage of it.

But the couple’s personal life has often been the subject of public scrutiny. Their relationship began in the 1990s under unusual circumstances. Brigitte, then Brigitte Auzière, was a 39-year-old married teacher at La Providence, a Catholic school in Amiens. Emmanuel, only 15 at the time, was her student and in the same class as her daughter.

How Brigitte and Emmanuel Came Close?

Their connection grew as they worked together on school theatre projects. Brigitte helped young Emmanuel rewrite and expand plays. According to her, she was slowly drawn to his intellect. “Little by little, I was won over by his intelligence,” she once said. Macron, even at 15, displayed the maturity of someone far older, preferring adult conversations over teenage chatter, recalled his former sports teacher.

According to journalist Maelle Brun’s biography Brigitte Macron: An Unfettered Woman, the affair was discovered in 1994 when the pair were spotted sunbathing together. Brigitte’s family, who owned a macaron and chocolate factory, faced local backlash. Friends abandoned her, hate mail arrived, and some even spat at her door. Overnight, she became a social outcast.

As rumors intensified, Brigitte encouraged Emmanuel to move to Paris at 17 to complete his studies. Still, Macron made a promise before leaving: “Whatever you do, I will marry you.” They kept in touch despite the distance and social resistance. In 2007, when Emmanuel was 29 and Brigitte 54, the couple finally tied the knot in Le Touquet, the same seaside town where she had married her first husband decades earlier.

Wedding was Attended by Both Families

The wedding was attended by both families. Macron thanked Brigitte’s children in his speech, acknowledging the difficulty of accepting their unusual love story: “You’ve made us what we are today.” Her divorce from banker André-Louis Auzière had been finalised that same year.

Their relationship has weathered multiple storms. When Macron became finance minister in 2014, Brigitte gave up her teaching career to support him politically. During his presidential campaign, rumors claimed Macron was in a secret relationship with the head of Radio France and that Brigitte was just a façade. He refuted the claims with sarcasm, saying any “double life” must belong to his “hologram.”

More recently, Brigitte faced bizarre allegations that she was born male. The false claim was legally challenged, and two women were ordered to pay €8,000 in damages to France’s First Lady. The smear campaign left her emotionally drained, as highlighted in Brun’s biography.

Brigitte Macron Embraces Age Gap with Humour

Brigitte has spoken candidly about their 25-year age gap. In an interview with Elle France, she said, “Yes, we have breakfast together me with my wrinkles, and him with his youth but that’s how it is.” She’s remained one of Macron’s closest advisors, both personally and professionally.

Now, with the “slapgate” video causing another media stir, Macron has again stood by his wife. “It was a private, light-hearted moment turned into global gossip,” he said. “Let’s not confuse humour with hostility.”