The trials of Mary Archer

Her husband is doing a four-year prison sentence for perjury and perverting the course of justice, but Stacey Teale asks: will Mary Archer ever step out from her husband's shadow?

She has been described as an ice-maiden, a ‘tough lady’ who acts more like a machine than a woman. Feminists, colleagues and an intrigued general public can’t understand why Mary Archer – a Cambridge don and a fiercely intelligent woman – continues to stand by Jeffrey Archer. During their 35 year marriage, she has been his most avid supporter; through failed investments, near bankruptcy and public disgrace she has stood by him. In return for her loyalty, Jeffrey Archer has cheated on her with numerous women and seen her take to the witness stand to deny that their marriage is a sham.

It would have brought a lesser woman to her knees. But 56-year-old Mary Archer is made of sterner stuff. She has, seemingly, not allowed it to affect her. She has remained strong throughout and has rallied to her husband's defence several times. In the latest incident, she was forced to fight back over claims that millions of pounds had gone missing from the Kurdish charity that Archer fronted. Speaking for the first time since Scotland Yard launched an enquiry, she insisted she was very proud of her husband's work.

'We are very proud of what Jeffrey did in spearheading this charitable effort. He out a huge amount of his own time and resources into it. These allegations are entirely without foundation.'She also publicly criticised the woman at the centre of the claim, Baroness Nicholson, claiming she was 'misled and misleading.'

The staunch defence probably comes as little surprise to those around her. She is often seen as the one asset in Archer's life.She has been a trustee of the Science Museum, and sat on various advisory boards at the Dept of Trade and Industry. She has also been on the Hardship Committee at Lloyds of London – where she is a Name – and a board member of Anglia Television. All despite her husband’s dubious dealings.