The Unlikely Love Story of an ‘Ordinary Mom’ Turned WWII Spy

A Childhood of Unfortunate Illnesses

Odette Marie Léonie Céline Brailly was born on April 28th, 1912, in France, and had one brother. As a young girl, she contracted more than one serious illness, which left her blind for three and a half years. She also fell ill with polio, which left her bedridden for months. She got an education in a convent and was actually considered difficult, but it’s likely because of her illnesses.

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Photo by Daily Mail / Shutterstock

When Odette grew older, she met an Englishman named Roy Patrick Sansom and married him in 1931. After the wedding, the couple moved to Britain to live together. They had three daughters: Françoise Edith, Lili M, and Marianne O. As the Second World War was about to begin, her husband joined the army, and so Odette and the girls to Somerset, England, which was a safer place to live.

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