Page 3 Profile: Miriam Durantez, lawyer

Has she been showing off her Spanish?

She has indeed – using more straightforward language than many politicians like her husband, too. Nick Clegg’s wife has claimed that men who look after their children and treat women equally have more “cojones”, which roughly translates as “balls”.

Presumably this wasn’t an isolated remark?

Indeed, it was part of a wider but consistently passionate defence of men who share their responsibilities with their partners. “There are many, many dinosaurs – not here, out there – who still think that a man who takes care of his own children, he is somehow less of a man,” she said. “So if you and other modern working fathers start saying not only loudly, but also proudly, that taking care of your own children and being responsible for your children does not affect your level of testosterone – and that those men who actually treat women as equals are the ones with the most cojones.”

How did everyone react?

With hearty applause. And, naturally, the Deputy Prime Minister lent his full support. He said: “I, of course, agree with you. I always do... I massively agree. The idea that it is not manly to care is as absurd as saying it’s not womanly to work.” Their own parenting responsibilities were split evenly following the birth of their first two sons, Mr Clegg revealed. But Ms Durantez, a lawyer, shouldered more duties when it came to the birth of their third son.