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At home, Justine Miliband is a mother of two young boys. At work, she is an eloquent barrister. And in public, she is a silently supportive wife.

But not for much longer. In her first major broadcast interview, the wife of the Labour leader has come out fighting in defence of her husband.

She told me the personal ridicule poured on Ed Miliband was totally unsurprising given the changes he was trying to introduce.

She told me that she had decided to speak in public because she wanted to be seen as more than just a dress standing next to her husband. But Labour are also clearly hopeful that she will win Ed Miliband votes.

They want to have a debate about character, portraying Mr Miliband as a decent man Justine Miliband trying to bring change to Britain.

And so if they want to make that case, then they hope Justine Miliband will prove a huge asset.

The hope is that she might knock the edges of his public image, and perhaps help him connect with voters. This is, however, a well-trodden path. Many parties promote their leader's spouses in the search for votes. And it doesn't always work