Can someone just check in on Paul Mescal, aka Normal People's Connell? There's a new crush in town. And that crush is 50-year-old Labour Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham.
Pushing back in negotiations with Boris Johnson's government around the Greater Manchester area going into Tier 3 and the financial support package involved in that, former Labour Culture and Health Minister Mr Burnham's popularity has been creeping up steadily. But yesterday, with THAT press conference and THAT moment checking the phones, his popularity on social media soared.
Born in Aintree, that Andy Burnham is King Of The North (for both his battles for justice for the 96 victims of Hillsborough and his recent work in Manchester) is one of the few things Tier 3 lockdown neighbours Liverpool and Manchester now agree on.
In fact, apart from a few Conservative-supporting detractors, fancying Andy Burnham is something most of the internet seems to agree on.
See?
Yep, we told you so.
So what is it that everyone is getting so wound up about (aside from the fact that we've all been cooped up for almost 10 months and so cannot trust our instincts...)?
Well, for some, it's Andy Burnham's eyelashes...
For others, it's nearby... yes, you guessed it, people are into Andy Burnham's eyeBROWS too.
So, is Andy Burnham fit? Or FFL? (Fit For Lockdown) No matter, people are also suggesting it's his FASHION/STYLE that is what's hot...
Yes, even if that is all a bit 'why did I become high school teacher' fashion...
There's definitely Dad / 'Mums love him' vibes too going on...
Is Andy Burnham married?
So, it won't surprise you to know that alongside 'So HOW MUCH money are the government giving to Manchester then?' the most googled terms and social media mentions surround whether Andy Burnham is married, has a wife and has kids.
Here is a graph of people googling whether Andy Burnham is married over the last few days. Lol, we really are spending too much time insider on our phones aren't we?
SO, you THIRSTY lot, here's your answer: yes Andy Burnham is married. He is married to Marie-France van Heel, who he met at university.
During Burnham's campaign to become Labour leader in 2015, his wife, Marie-France van Heel, talks about meeting him for the first time.
'I met him on my first day at university,' she says. 'With the long hair and the good looks... and the monobrow.'
Wanna see a picture of Andy Burnham when he was younger?
So, yes he's married, and he has three children. Here they all are when he became Mayor of Manchester in 2017.
You can see his son, Jimmy (L) wife Marie-France van Heel (2nd-L) daughter Rosie (3rd-L) and daughter Annie (4th-R).
Andy Burnham memes
Oh, and because it's the internet, there are now a LOT of memes of Andy Burnham as KING OF THE NORTH... or Jon Snow, or the rest of them from Game of Thrones.
Of course because of his comments around better protection for low paid workers, lots of people are questioning and googling 'Andy Burnham wages' and 'Andy Burnham expenses' too.
But lots of people are more interested in this fact...
There are also a RAFT of 'what he saw on the phone' memes about yesterday's press conference. Here's some faves...
And finally, here's proof that Burnham's message has officially cut through... it's become a TFL Tube Thought For The Day...
And just to finish, here's a picture of Andy Burnham when he was younger. Cute.
