‘Deterioration’ of health: What to know about the Brigitte Macron cyberbullying trial

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Brigitte Macron, the wife of French president Emmanuel Macron, was at the centre of a cyberbullying trial in France.

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Her daughter from a previous marriage told a Paris courtroom that her mother has been deeply affected by false claims that she is a transgender woman. “She knows perfectly well that her image will be used to back these theories,” Tiphaine Auzière said, noting that her mother had to be “careful about her choices of outfits, of posture,” the BBC reported.

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She also told the court that she noticed a “deterioration” in her mother’s health since the false claims started.

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“She hasn’t been elected, she hasn’t asked anything of anyone, and she comes under attack,” said Auzière, also pointing out that Macron’s grandchildren were teased at school about it.

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Now, Macron, 72, is always “on alert that the slightest image of her could be used against her to feed hateful attacks,” Auzière said, according to The Guardian. “So she can’t have calm in her daily activities … Systematically, her identity is being questioned, people are constantly talking about this to her.”

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Here’s what to know after the two-day trial came to an end on Tuesday.

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Where do the fake rumours stem from?

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The fake rumours started around the time that Emmanuel Macron was first elected in 2017, according to France 24. The false claims were spurred on by criticism the couple have faced after an unusual start to their relationship. The first lady was the president’s teacher, more than 20 years his senior, when they met. They kept in touch and eventually got married in 2007, People Magazine reported.

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The false rumours were compounded in 2021, after a woman who called herself a medium, Amandine Roy, posted a YouTube video. The video featured an interview with self-described independent journalist Natacha Rey. The two discussed the “state-sponsored lie” that Macron was a woman. Rey claimed she discovered Macron was born male after a three-year investigation.

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The video was picked up by media and the fake rumour spread further.

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In March 2024, right-wing influencer Candace Owens said she would stake her “entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man” in a post on X.

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Maya-Anaïs Yataghène, a French journalist with France 24 who reported on the story at the time, refuted such claims.

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“It’s fake news that has all the ingredients of a rather effective conspiracy theory. It involves the Head of State, it implies the presidency is lying to the public to hide a double life and, ultimately, it’s transphobic,” she said.

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What is the cyberbullying trial about in France?

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There are 10 people facing accusations of online harassment and spreading false claims, including the theory that France’s first lady was assigned male at birth, Le Monde reported. They range in age from 41 to 65.