Ten years ago it seemed as though Valerie Plame's life had imploded. After two decades of working as an undercover officer for the CIA, battling to prevent Iran gaining nuclear weapons from locations in Europe (among other things), her identity as an agent was spectacularly leaked by officials in the Bush White House.
A huge scandal erupted, since it appeared that the leak was motivated by the fact that Plame's husband, former diplomat Joe Wilson, had challenged the Bush doctrine over whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Plame wrote an indignant book about the affair, which was heavily redacted but nevertheless formed the basis of a film, Fair Game (2010).
But then, with Plame's career over - and their marriage under pressure - the couple fled. They moved from Washington to a pueblo in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with their two children, hoping to build a quiet, normal life - or as “normal” as you can when you are a famous spy who has inspired a Hollywood movie, and you also happen to be dazzlingly blonde and beautiful. (Having met Plame earlier this year, via the Santa Fe Research Institute, which she is now linked with, I can report that she is not only stunning but charming, bright and has a terrific sense of humour.)