After a much-anticipated win in the recent Makerfield by-election, Andy Burnham is now a Labour MP once more (and no longer the Mayor of Manchester) – which means he's officially in a position to challenge the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, in a leadership contest (although as to exactly when that'll happen is still TBC).
With all the newfound attention on Burnham, many are also curious about his home life, which includes his wife of over 25 years, Marie-France van Heel.
Here's everything we know about the woman who could one day find herself in Downing Street...
Who is Andy Burnham's wife, Marie-France van Heel?
Marie-France van Heel is a Dutch-born marketing executive, who has been in a relationship with Burnham since their university days. Commonly known as 'Frankie', she married Burnham in 2000.
Despite her husband's high-profile political career, van Heel has generally stayed out of the spotlight and has kept her personal life relatively private. However, she has occasionally accompanied Burnham at public events, notably she was seen celebrating his Makerfield win with him, and has been described as a key source of support throughout his political career.
In one work profile, she is described as being able to speak three languages and as someone who has travelled extensively. "She is politically active and splits her time between the NW of England and London," it adds. "She is married with three grown children. Her two teenage daughters keep her on her toes and plugged into the various issues that young women are deeply passionate about."
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How did they meet?
Like many couples, van Heel and Burnham met while both studying English at Cambridge. He once joked in an interview, when asked what his favourite thing about his time at the uni was, "I need to say meeting my future wife there." Things weren't all plain sailing though, as despite forming a connection, van Heel went on the popular dating show, Blind Date, and ended up picking 'Will from Surrey', who later went on to become a marketing director for the Conservative party.
Ultimately, van Heel realised Will wasn't for her (fair: he described her as a "cold fish" when they got back to Cilla Black's studio) and reconnected with Burnham in a romantic sense. N'aww!
What does Marie-France van Heel do for work?
For the majority of her career, van Heel has worked in marketing and strategic branding, now reaching a senior level at Octopus Energy Generation.
According to a LinkedIn post, van Heel is a key player at Be.EV, a Manchester-based electric vehicle charging network – and recently triumphed in a workplace Bake Off-style competition (after coming in at the bottom of the leaderboard for the last two years). Slay, queen!
In addition to her career, van Heel also sits on the board for Plan International UK, a global charity aiming to improve gender equality for girls. According to a profile about van Heel on the Plan International UK website, she "was previously the Chief Strategy Officer at branding consultancy Heavenly before leaving to follow her passion for sustainability and the green economy.
"Marie-France is now the Chief Customer Officer for the Octopus Energy Generation backed electric vehicle charging company Be.EV. She is also on the Be.EV board of directors."
The profile adds, "She is passionate about charity work, and has previously worked with the likes of Marie Curie, The Alzheimer’s Society, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Guy’s & St Thomas’, (RED), MQ and many more – on their brand, storytelling, strategy and go-to-market planning."
How many children do Andy Burnham and Marie-France van Heel have?
Three, two daughters and one son. Their son, Jimmy, was born in 2000, while their daughters are called Rosie and Annie.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
