Behind every great man, there’s a great woman – a phrase which appears consistently true these days especially when looking at the famous married couples that adorn the pages of the tabloids; from Colleen and Wayne to Beyonce and Jay-Z.
In the next couple of days we may well have a new Prime Minister, which means a new first lady whose job it will be to uphold a bit of sophistication while their husband’s spend their time arguing away and attempt to cover up/ deal with expenses scandals.
In the political world election fever has seen an increased interest towards the WAGs of Westminster, all three of the main party leaders’ wives public persona has been subjected to as much scrutiny as their other halves.
So, they are not the kind of WAGs we’re used to; they’re not perma-tanned or peroxide blonde and they’re not gripping onto their husbands by the acrylic nail for financial security. They are all married to men who have the potential to be the prime minister by the time Vision goes to press, yet all three women are independent and successful in their own right. Each one has played a role in their husbands’ attempts to get into number 10.
Only just last week, Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah appeared on the GMTV sofa with breakfast favourite Lorraine Kelly. He appeared awkward admitting that the blunder wouldn’t have happened “if Sarah had of been there”. Clearly she is a pillar of support for her husband and even appears more comfortable in the public eye than her husband. she was charming and perfectly poised, clearly trying her best to limit the damage of Gordo’s recent ‘bigot’ blip.
Sarah Brown has been seen by some as the best thing to have come out of labour’s election campaign as she appears naturally warm and friendly, (albeit slightly disalusioned descirbing ol’ gordo as “breathtaking” in a recent interview. I shudder to think which bit of Gordon she is referring to..). Babe Brown alludes qualities which have, at times, been a struggle for her spouse.
As well as her image as the supportive wife, she is also an educated woman having completed a degree in psychology at the University of Bristol. Mrs Brown then went on to establish her own public relations firm known as ‘Hobsbawm Macaulay’ responsible for organising labour events.
She has been accredited with smartening up Gordon’s image so the gruff Scot now has the confidence to wear pink ties on TV and does that creepy smile less. Her best friend is J K Rowling and Sarah has over a million members following her on twitter, clearly showing the interest surrounding Gordon’s missus.
The situation is very much the same in the blue corner, with Samantha Cameron taking five weeks sabbatical to assist with her husband’s election campaign. She is expecting his child in September and by allowing Dave to impregnate her has sealed Cameron’s image as the family man of politics.
Her multi-million pound success as the creative director of the luxury stationary company ‘Smythson of Bond Street’ has come about without the help of her husband. She was making millions before David was even on the political radar. Previous to her success with the brand, she undertook a fine art degree at the University of West England where she became friends with Cameron’s sister who introduced Sam to the old etonian.
The revival of the company has been accredited with Samantha’s creative flare which has seen the creation of stylish (although extortionately priced) pieces since she joined in 1996 as a fresh faced 25 year old. Self-designed ‘Nancy’ handbag has become a celebrity favourite adorning the arms of the likes of Cat Deeley. Mrs Cameron has herself been spotted on the front row of Burberry fashion shows but maintains some normality, wearing a combination of high street (she had her Marks and Sparks dress, taylor fitted) and designer. The company trades in stores in New York and Beverly Hills’ meaning that Sam Cam had already established her own special relationship with America before her husband could even dream of reaching number 10.
Nick Clegg’s missus is feisty Spaniard Miriam Gonzalez Durantez who studied law at Valladodid University and met Clegg when the couple were both at the college of Europe. She now celebrates success as the head of international trade law at the corportate law firm, DLA Piper.
Rather than being at the forefront of Clegg’s campaign, she has taken more of a back seat role, describing all the attention given to the WAGs of Westminster as being “a bit frivolous”. She is too busy as a high flying international lawyer to take part in all the election campaign malarkey.
However, even she has been forced to admit that she enjoys the media calling her “clever and sexy”which is a hell of a lot nicer than most things the papers ever said about Cherie Blair.