in 1973, during her studies at the national university of la plata, she met her future spouse, néstor kirchner. they were married on 9 may 1975 and had two children: máximo (born 1977) and florencia (born 1990). néstor kirchner died on 27 october 2010 after suffering a heart attack. following the death of her husband, she dressed in black for over three years.