As Andy Burnham becomes Prime Minister on Monday, July 20, his wife of 25 years, Marie-France van Heel, will be by his side. The Dutch-born marketing executive, nicknamed Frankie, has largely stayed out of the limelight since Burnham became an MP in 2001, but her past includes a memorable appearance on ITV's Blind Date.
Meeting at Cambridge
Burnham and van Heel met in 1989 at Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, where she was described as "the coolest girl in college." Burnham, then a second-year English student, bonded with her over a shared love of The Smiths.
Blind Date Appearance
In 1992, van Heel appeared on Cilla Black's ITV show Blind Date. Burnham recalled watching the programme from behind the sofa. Van Heel, wearing a yellow headband over her blonde bob, chose "Will from Surrey," who wore dungarees over a red jumper. The date did not go well; van Heel threw a cushion at him, and he described her as a "cold fish." Will Harris later became a marketing director for the Conservative Party.
Marriage and Family
Van Heel and Burnham married in 2000 and have three children: a son and two daughters. The family, who own a bichon frise named Axel, are described as tight-knit.
Professional Career
Van Heel has spent most of her career in marketing. After working at BSkyB, she founded MVH Marketing and later became chief strategy officer at Heavenly, a London agency that worked with HSBC, England Rugby, and the BBC. She is now chief marketing officer at Iduna Infrastructure, which owns large parts of Manchester's electric vehicle charging network. Questions about a potential conflict of interest arose when Burnham was Mayor of Greater Manchester; he distanced himself from decisions about Iduna and declared his wife's job.
Public Life
Van Heel did not join Burnham on stage after his Labour leadership acceptance speech, but they were pictured embracing in the TUC's headquarters hall, where their children sat in the front row. It remains to be seen how visible she will be as the Prime Minister's spouse at No 10.
