Nelson Mandela once said his wife, Graca Machel, makes him "bloom like a flower."
Despite her reluctance to marry him at first, they've been inseparable since they tied the knot on his 80th birthday.
Here are 10 things to know about the woman who was at the international icon's side to the very end.
- She's been First Lady of two nations, buried both husbands.
Before she got married to the South African anti-apartheid icon, Machel
was the first lady of Mozambique. Her husband, President Samora Machel,
died in a mysterious plane crash in 1986.
When they got married in 1998, she was 52, Mandela was 80.
But she says their advanced age made their relationship better. "We were
grown up; we were settled; we
knew the value of a companion, of a
partner," she says.
- She separated the man from the icon:
At the beginning of their relationship, Machel says, there was a
conflict between the man she married and the world's perception of him.
"The aura around him was a bit confusing. But then I learned to live
with it, in terms of separating the two," she told CNN's Robyn Curnow in
a rare interview in 2008.
- South Africa wasn't always in love with her:
Protective of their beloved Madiba, the nation did not warm up to a
foreign first lady at first. She remained in the background at the
beginning, and then slowly won them over with her loyalty and laid-back
demeanor.
- She has something in common with the Kennedys:
In Mozambique, she was nicknamed Jackie Kennedy. Not just for her class
and grace, but because of the tragedy that befell her husband while in
office.
- It wasn't love at first sight:
After they met, she was reluctant to marry him or discuss their
relationship in public. But Mandela wooed her the old-fashioned way,
occasionally giving his bodyguards headaches as president when he'd make
unannounced stops to buy her chocolates.
- She's kindred spirits with Mandela:
Machel has something in common with her freedom fighter husband. While
living in Mozambique, she was outspoken against the Portuguese colonial
government.
- She's qualified in her own right:
She served as minister of education and culture in Mozambique for more
than 10 years. She is especially passionate about youth education, and
has served as an expert on children's issues for the United Nations.
- She's Mandela's third wife:
Mandela was first married to Evelyn Mase, but their marriage ended in
divorce. In his biography "Long Walk to Freedom," Mandela has said Mase
made him choose between family and politics.
He later married Winnie Mandela, a firebrand who became his voice when
he was in prison. After their contentious divorce in 1996, Mandela
married Machel two years later.
- Their wedding was private:
Despite Mandela's larger-than-life status, they got married on his
birthday 15 years ago. Their wedding was a low-key event attended by
close family and friends.
Culled from CNN
