Who is Veronique Dreux and what's her relation to Brigitte Macron?

A photograph of a young male model at a 2009 photoshoot in Russia was  altered and shared online with the false suggestion it showed French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte as a young man.

The fabricated screenshot featuring the edited black-and-white image alongside an authentic photo of Brigitte Macron was posted on social media, sparking debate on social media about the gender of the First Lady of France.

Conservative commentator Candace Owens also sparked outrage with her remarks that Brigitte Macron was born a man. She had used social media to reassert the controversial claim she had outlined on her podcast, accusing Brigitte Macron of having trasnsitioned from a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux. 

The false claims made against Brigitte triggered a debate online, with users asking  for photos from Brigitte's early life. Questions about her previous relationships. including one with a woman named Veronique Dreux had also emerged online.

Posts on X (formerly Twitter) mentioned Veronique Dreux in the context of marriage records and personal history, indicating some public interest or speculation regarding her personal life, particularly in relation to other individuals like Jean-Michel Trogneux (Brigitte).  But most of the posts involved misinformation or personal interpretations not backed by official record

Brigitte Macron launched legal proceedings over the spread of false claims in 2021 that she is a transgender woman who was born a male.

A libel case was filed against two women in 2022 over a 2021 YouTube video that made the allegation. 

Brigitte is expected to address the controversy in a new biopic series titled "Brigitte, une femme libre" (Brigitte, a Free Woman) that was announced by Gaumont.