As the wife of Ed Miliband, tales of youthful radicalism strike just the right chord with the comrades.
So Justine Thornton, now a high-flying barrister, will have won many fans among the Labour faithful for revealing last week how she once leapt from a window of her comprehensive school to avoid being caught wearing lipstick – and challenged the uniform rules by wearing a daring purple coat.
But that is only part of the story.
Former staff and pupils say that during her time at West Bridgford Comprehensive School in Nottingham, Ms Thornton, 42, was so eager to succeed that she resorted to extra maths classes – despite scoring an astonishing 99 per cent in tests.
Her former maths teacher, Paul Bray, 57, said: ‘I taught Justine for five years and to cast her as a wild child or a rebel is ludicrous.
'She was a very good student, one of the best I’ve taught in 35 years. When she got 99 per cent in a maths exam she came for extra lessons to get to 100. That’s how she was.’
Ms Thornton’s past came under the spotlight last week when she and her husband visited her former school as part of the run-up to May’s local elections.
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Mr Bray’s wife Helen, 55, who taught Ms Thornton French, said: ‘She was a sparkling, shiny star.
'If there had been a head girl she would have been it, but it wasn’t the fashion then. Justine was a magnificent student with charm and sense.’
Back to school: Ed Miliband and Justine with her former maths teacher Paul Bray at Justine's old school, West Bridgford School in Nottingham
Former pupils agreed that Ms Thornton was far from a ‘rebel’ at the 1,400-strong school. Abby Morrison, 43, said: ‘I don’t remember there being a strict uniform policy, and as for lipstick, every teenage girl would have tried that at some point.’
Lorraine Kennedy, 43, added: ‘Justine could never be considered a rebel. She was a teacher’s favourite.’
Ms Thornton achieved straight As in her maths, English and history A-levels before going on to read law at Cambridge.