By this point, van Heel had given birth to their first child, Jimmy – and it was his birth in March 2000 which Burnham has said spurred them on to get married, after years of living together.
“I think marriage is better for kids,” Burnham told the Daily Telegraph in 2007, adding: “I’m a bit old fashioned on these matters – although I have to admit that Jimmy, my eldest son, was at our wedding so I’m only old fashioned up to a point.
“When my wife got pregnant for the first time it was a complete shock. My first thought was, ‘Oh my God, we’ll have to get married’.”
Their daughters, Rosie and Annie, were born a few years later while the couple were living in Manchester.
Rosie and Jimmy work for drinks brand Jägermeister and the Royal College of Nursing respectively, while Annie has just graduated from Cardiff University.
Neither van Heel nor the children are expected to move into Downing Street, but nothing has been confirmed about where their rescue dog Axel will live.