France‘s youngest ever education minister had dreams of Hollywood as a child – but may now have his sights set on Emmanuel Macron‘s job.
Like the French president, Gabriel Attal was a child actor and has now been tipped as a possible replacement for Mr Macron, who was on the cusp of his teenage years when Mr Attal was born in March, 1989.
In 1998, a nine-year-old Mr Attal boasted to classmates he would become a Hollywood star one day, but he has since swapped the stage for the political arena.
A former classmate told MailOnline: “He loved showing off on stage and in front of the camera and always knew he was destined for great things.”
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If he were to replace Mr Macron as France’s head of state, it would be the first time a gay man has entered the Élysée Palace in the top job.
Stéphane Séjourné, 38, is general secretary of Mr Macron’s political party, Renaissance, and in a civil union with Mr Attal, with whom he shares a home in Paris.
A source from the party said that if Mr Attal were to become president, then Mr Séjourné would be a “perfect companion” at the Élysée.
They added the pair “would be the first gay couple in the role”, and a “refreshing change” compared to those who preceded them.
Mr Macron will have to stand down before the next election with French heads of state limited to two terms in power.
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A recent poll by Ifop for Paris Match showed Mr Attal ahead of Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, with 55 percent favouring the former child actor to his potential leadership rival on 28 percent.
The billing has earned Mr Attal the nicknames “Macron II” and “Macron Boy” in France. In his role leading France’s education ministry, he recently banned abayas – a type of dress worn by some Muslim women and girls – in schools.
Critics accuse Mr Attal of being pampered as a child and flirting with socialism, an attack which has also been aimed at Mr Macron.
The son of film producer Yves Attal and Marie de Couriss, Mr Attal became a millionaire overnight when he inherited his father’s fortune on his death in 2015.
His rapid rise in French politics began when he was 23 as an adviser to President François Hollande’s health ministry. In 2018, he became a junior minister, going on to hold a number of roles until he was appointed education minister in July.
If his party backs him as its presidential candidate and he were to win France’s next general election, then he would steal the crown from Mr Macron as his country’s youngest ever president.
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