French first lady says husband’s only fault is being younger

PARIS – France’s first lady says President Emmanuel Macron’s only fault is “being younger than me,” addressing their atypical love story in a rare interview.

Brigitte Macron told France’s Elle magazine that if she hadn’t pursued their romance, “I would have let my life pass me by.” Excerpts of the interview were released Wednesday.

The couple of about 20 years met when he was a student at the high school where she taught. Brigitte Macron now is 64, her husband 39 — an age difference about the same as Donald and Melania Trump’s.

Macron is facing resistance to the president’s push to formalize the first lady’s role. She insisted she would not take a salary and promised her official activities would be posted online “so that the French know exactly what I’m doing.”