Cherie Blair was never going to slip comfortably into the traditional role of politician’s wife, providing a pleasant but bland backdrop to her husband’s career. In fact, there were fears within New Labour before the 1997 general election, in which her husband won a landslide victory, that she might be seen as “too feminist, too scary or too clever”.

And yet it is a role she has appeared to have played effortlessly for the past four years, juggling her successful professional life as a barrister while being a supportive wife and mother of four children – Euan, 17, Nicky, 16, Kathryn, 13 and one-year-old Leo. Described by her husband as “the rock on which my life is built”, it’s no wonder she’s developed a reputation as superwoman.

Known as William Hague’s “secret weapon”, Ffion Hague has always been relied upon to add a touch of glamour to the rather dowdy image of the Leader of the Opposition. Stylish, modern, professional and young – in fact, at 33, she is the youngest Tory leader’s wife in memory – she was even compared to Princess Diana when she first emerged on the public stage.

Like Cherie and Ffion, Sarah Gurling is a successful career woman. She obviously heeded the advice of a stress expert who warned political leaders before the general election that they could suffer burn-out unless they took their partners on the campaign trail with them.

The 31-year-old girlfriend of the Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy was thrust straight into the fast lane on her first day of the campaign, hurtling from North London to Cornwall. She fared well and dismissed speculation that she was going to avoid the limelight. “I want to support Charles all that I can,” she insisted.

To read more about the wives of Britain’s leaders, see this week’s issue of HELLO! magazine, on sale now.