Former First Lady Michelle Obama was all set to blow out the candles on her birthday cake on Thursday January 16 - and there's no denying that the forever youthful wife of Barack Obama is fabulous at 55. After leaving the White House, Michelle's professional life has gone from strength to strength, with the publication at the end of 2018 of her biography Becoming.
To celebrate Michelle's 55th birthday, we've gathered together some of her best family photos - including this one, taken during the 43rd birthday celebrations of husband Barack Obama, joined by daughters Malia and Sasha, who were at the time six and three-years-old respectively.
Now the mom-of-two can official say three decades have passed since she met her husband. Aged 25, Michelle worked as a lawyer at prestigious Chicago firm Sidley Austin, and she was assigned the job of being mentor for new recruit Barack.
Scroll down to read more of Michelle’s story and see her family photos
Michelle, pictured signing copies of her book, has come a long way since her early beginnings in South Shore, Chicago. The future First Lady grew up in a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment with no air conditioning that was owned by her great aunt Robbie.
Michelle was a diligent student, enrolling in Princeton University in 1981. "I know that being a first-generation college student can be scary, because it was scary for me," she said of the experience. "I was black and from a working-class neighborhood in Chicago, while Princeton’s student body was generally white and well-to-do. I’d never stood out in a crowd or a classroom because of the color of my skin before. But I found close friends and a mentor who gave me the confidence to be myself. Going to college is hard work, but every day I meet people whose lives have been profoundly changed by education, just as mine was. My advice to students is to be brave and stay with it."