18 Facts About Penelope Fillon

Penelope Kathryn Fillon is the Welsh wife of French former politician Francois Fillon.

Penelope Fillon was the Spouse of the Prime Minister of France from 17 May 2007 to 10 May 2012.

Penelope Fillon worked as an English teacher at a secondary school in France in the late 1970s, where she met her future husband.

Francois and Penelope Fillon married in 1980 and have five children.

When Francois Penelope Fillon began running for the French presidency in 2017, she emerged in the public eye to campaign for her husband.

Penelope Fillon Kathryn Clarke was born on 31 July 1955 in Llanover, Monmouthshire, Wales, United Kingdom.

Penelope Fillon attended primary and secondary school at King Henry VIII School in Abergavenny, studying French, German, and English.

Penelope Fillon went on to attend University College London, earning a degree in French and German.

Penelope Fillon spent her final year before earning her degree as a teaching assistant of English at a middle school in Le Mans, France.

Penelope Fillon continued her education at the University of Bristol, earning a degree in law.

Penelope Fillon intended to become a lawyer like her father, and qualified as a solicitor.

Shortly after their marriage, Francois and Penelope Fillon moved to Paris.

For much of her husband's political career, Penelope Fillon stayed home to care for their five children, and when Francois was a government minister, the family resided in an apartment in Paris's 6th arrondissement.

Penelope Fillon was elected, and has served on the council since 2014.

In 2017, Francois Penelope Fillon commenced his campaign for the French presidency.

Penelope Fillon said "It was a mistake and I apologize to the French [people]" but said that the salary of his wife was "perfectly justified".

In June 2020, Penelope Fillon was convicted of embezzlement of public funds and sentenced to three years imprisonment.

Penelope Fillon's sentence was suspended and she vowed to appeal the conviction.