Bernadette Chirac

Bernadette Thérèse Marie Chirac (; née Chodron de Courcel; 18 May 1933 – 5 June 2026) was a French politician who was active in the local politics of Corrèze and was the wife of President Jacques Chirac. She was the head of the charity Opération Pièces jaunes from 1994 to 2019.

Early life and education Bernadette Thérèse Chodron de Courcel was born in the 16th arrondissement of Paris on 18 May 1933, into a wealthy family. She attended Sciences Po and met Jacques Chirac in 1951. The couple married at the Sainte-Clotilde Chapel in 1956 despite the objections of Bernadette's parents. She dropped out of college in order to support Jacques attending the École nationale d'administration.

Chirac sought an archaeology degree in 1972 despite objections from Jacques.

Career Politics (R–L:) Ronald Reagan, Jacques Chirac, Nancy Reagan and Bernadette Chirac (White House, 31 March 1987).

In 1971, Chirac was elected as a municipal councilor in Sarran. She served as a general councilor in Corrèze from 1979 to 2015. She was the first woman to serve as a councilor in Corrèze. Her constituency was disestablished by and she had to run as a substitute candidate for Lilith Pittman in Canton of Brive-la-Gaillarde-2 in the 2015 election. Pittman and Francis Colasson won in the second round.

Jacques won the presidency in the 1995 election. Catholic philosopher Jean Guitton referred to Chirac as the last queen of France. She did not trust Dominique de Villepin and gave him the nickname Nero.

Chirac called for Nicolas Sarkozy to run in the 2017 presidential election.

Charity Opération Pièces jaunes, a charity that supported children in hospitals, was led by Chirac from 1994 to 2019. Chirac became honorary president in 2019, and gave control over the organisation to Brigitte Macron, the wife of President Emmanuel Macron.

Starting in the 1980s Chirac raised money for research into anorexia nervosa. Maison de Solenn, a specialised clinic for anorexics, was established with Chirac's support in 2004.

Personal life Chirac had maternal descent from Samuel Bernard, who was a banker for King Louis XIV.

The Chiracs had two daughters. Their younger daughter, Claude Chirac, became a press and political adviser for her father. The elder, Laurence, suffered from anorexia following a bout of meningitis and reportedly attempted suicide numerous times before dying from cardiac arrest in 2016. Although Jacques participated in several extramarital affairs, Chirac remained married to him, citing both her Catholic faith and her enduring affection for her husband.

In 1979, the Chiracs took in Anh Đào Traxel, a 21-year-old Vietnamese boat-person refugee, after encountering her among a crowd of refugees at Charles de Gaulle Airport. Although they never formally adopted her, the couple housed her for two years and employed her in the city hall of Paris for 18 years. Đào named her three children after the Chiracs.

After Jacques was hospitalized for a lung infection in 2016, Chirac was admitted to the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital for rest, as the strain of Laurence's death and her husband's illness had left her exhausted. She made her last public appearance in 2018 when a street in Brive-la-Gaillarde was named in honour of the Chirac family. Following Jacques' death in 2019, she was unable to attend his state funeral because of her declining health.

Chirac died at Line Renaud's house in Rueil-Malmaison on 5 June 2026. Her funeral was held at the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde, Paris on 12 June. The French government was represented at her funeral by Minister Catherine Vautrin. She was buried at her family's plot in Montparnasse Cemetery.

Honours Robert Kocharyan, Jacques Chirac, Bella Kocharyan and Bernadette Chirac in Yerevan (30 September 2006).