Belgian foreign minister Wilmes steps down to help sick husband

Belgium’s foreign minister is stepping down so she has more time to devote to her husband, who was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer.

Sophie Wilmes said in a letter on Thursday that her job “demands rigor, availability and total commitment that will not allow me to provide help and comfort that Christopher and our children will need.”

“I want to be there for him like he has always been there for us,” Wilmes said in a letter on Twitter.

Wilmes, 47, served as Belgium’s first female prime minister during 2019-2020. She also was the nation’s first female foreign minister.