Andy Burnham is becoming UK prime minister on Monday after Sir Keir Starmer bowed out.By the former Greater Manchester mayor’s side will be Marie-France van Heel, his wife of 25 years.Ms van Heel, who was born in the Netherlands, and Mr Burnham have been together for decades – they first met in 1989 when they were undergraduates at Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam College. The pair bonded over a shared love of The Smiths.However, their relationship took a turn when Ms van Heel went on the ITV show Blind Date, fronted by Cilla Black, in 1992.Mr Burnham said that he watched the programme from behind the sofa.Andy Burnham hugs his wife Marie-France van Heel as he is confirmed as the Labour Party's new leader on 17 July (AFP/Getty)Ms van Heel, wearing a yellow headband over her blonde bob, chose “Will from Surrey” for her date.However, the duo did not hit it off, with Ms van Heel throwing a cushion at her TV date, who described her as a “cold fish”.“Will from Surrey” – otherwise known as Will Harris – went on to become a marketing director for the Conservative Party.Ms van Heel and Mr Burnham married in 2000. They have a son and two daughters, as well as a bichon frise named Axel, and the family are said to be tight-knit.Andy Burnham and wife Marie France van Heel as students at Cambridge University (Supplied)Ms van Heel has spent much of her professional career in marketing.After working at BSkyB, she founded MVH Marketing, and later became chief strategy officer at London-based agency Heavenly, which has worked on campaigns for 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.After questions about a possible conflict of interest, Mr Burnham, as Greater Manchester mayor, distanced himself from decisions about Iduna and declared his wife’s job.Labour party MP Andy Burnham leaves The Edge in Wigan with his wife Marie-France Van Heel (right) and their daughter Rosie after winning the Makerfield by-election in June (PA)Ms van Heel has largely stayed out of the limelight since her husband first became an MP in 2001.She did not join Mr Burnham on stage after his speech accepting the Labour leadership on Friday.However, they were pictured embracing in the hall of the TUC’s headquarters in London, where their children also sat in the front row.It remains to be seen how visible Ms van Heel chooses to be once she takes up residence in No 10 as the prime minister’s spouse.