Who is the Catalan first lady?

The Generalitat has a new president. The leader of the PSC was sworn in this Thursday in the Parliament after a tense day in which Salvador Illa He has been supported by his team and his wife, Marta EstruchThe marketing expert thus becomes the ‘first lady’ of Catalonia and begins a new stage in which she will have to manage her new public role despite the discretion that characterizes her. “Let her take advantage of the fact that she can remain anonymous, because if her husband wins the elections she could become the first lady of Catalonia and then she won’t be spared,” said her sister, Susana, a few weeks ago.

Marta does not appear in public events and protects her privacy to the maximum, so much so that she does not even have social networks. Absent during her husband’s election campaign, she has only accompanied him on three occasions so far: during the presentation of the last Ondas Awards, in November 2023; during the socialist’s trip to the Vatican to visit Pope Francis and discuss coexistence in Catalonia, last March; and at the Cap Roig Festival, on July 26, where she posed on the photocall with the Estopa brothers. A meeting that Illa himself boasted about on social networks: “David and José Muñoz are synonymous with humility, authenticity and talent. Long live them.”

This Thursday she wanted to be by her husband’s side to give him all her support. They arrived together at the Parliament early in the morning. She, dressed in dark trousers and a white T-shirt, a classic, walked seriously and somewhat nervously. After the vote was over and the investiture was announced, she congratulated Salvador and hugged him.

The relationship between Illa and Estruch has been strong for years and they live together in La Roca del Vallès (Barcelona), with his daughter, the result of a previous marriage. The leader of the PSC dedicated his victory in the 2021 elections to them: “I dedicate this victory to my wife and my daughter.”Marta works in the marketing department at the headquarters of the Swiss multinational Nestlé, in Esplugues de Llobregat, and shares an office with Ana Urdangarinthe sister of Iñaki, ex-husband of Infanta Cristina. She is also a close friend of Begoña Gomezwife of the current President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez.