A young Mitt Romney probably had other things on his mind than running for the White House when he threw pebbles at a girl called Ann Lois Davies as she rode past him on a horse.
He was a Cub Scout at the time, still in elementary school, but the future Ann Romney made a lasting impression. They started dating in high school and married in 1969.
Forty-three years and five children later, Ann Romney, 63, is a tireless campaigner for her husband’s bid for the US presidency, striving to show the nation that he has a more human side than his wooden style suggests.
“You can trust Mitt,” she told the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida in August. “He loves America. He will take us to a better place… This man will not let us down. This man will lift up America.”
Romney gained national prominence during the Republican primaries in April when Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen snickered on national television how the well-to-do Romney “actually never worked a day in her life.”
“I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys,” Romney riposted unapologetically in her first-ever post on Twitter. “Believe me, it was hard work.”
In the ensuing months of campaigning, Romney grew fiercely protective of her husband, telling his critics within the Republican party to “stop it” and declaring the nation needs a “grown-up” like Mitt in the Oval Office.
The Romneys routinely call each other “sweetie” and hold each other’s hands, and their squeaky-clean and loving family life — built on Mormon values — is a clear vote-winner among traditionalists.
“You can see she keeps him grounded,” one voter, Greg Hampton, observed at a Romney rally in Colorado in February. The candidate himself has described her as his “soul mate.”
The aspiring first lady has by no means had an easy life, however.
In 1988 she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which she manages with a combination of orthodox medicine and equine therapy. More recently she battled a non-invasive form of breast cancer that now is in remission.
“She credits her husband’s unwavering care and devotion to her for helping her through these ordeals,” Romney’s campaign website says.
Ann Romney was born on April 16, 1949 and raised in an affluent suburb of Detroit, Michigan. Her father, an immigrant from Wales, was an industrialist and inventor.
She attended Brigham Young University in Utah, as her future husband did, spent a semester at the University of Grenoble in France, and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, better known as the Mormons.
Besides their five sons, the Romneys have 19 grandchildren who they describe as the center of their lives.
That may seem a politically rose-tinted account, but over the course of two relentless White House primary campaigns, no one has found any significant dirt on the Romneys.
Her campaigning has not been perfect, however, notably when she said earlier this year: “I don’t even consider myself wealthy.”
Such comments played into the hands of President Barack Obama’s allies, who allege that the Romneys’ wealth puts them out of touch with ordinary Americans dealing with the aftermath of recession.
If she becomes first lady, Romney intends to build upon her involvement in faith-based and community organizations during the time Mitt was Massachusetts’ governor.
“Ann Romney will continue to focus attention on the challenges facing at-risk youth, raise awareness for debilitating diseases, including multiple sclerosis and breast cancer,” the Romney campaign says.
“And she will continue to help demonstrate how strong families are vital to strong communities and a strong country.”
Ann Romney: Mitt's 'soul mate'
