ALI Hewson for president? She's perhaps better known as Bono's wife, but Ali is very much the anti-rock chick, with her own life and her own interests that neatly dovetail with those of her famous rock star hubby. And maybe, just maybe, we'll be referring to her as President Hewson in the future. In an interesting interview published recently in Britain's Daily Telegraph, Ali was asked about the possibility of running for the Irish presidency at some stage of her life. The idea has been floated before in the Irish media because of the huge respect she commands as a noted campaigner on behalf of children and the environment, so it's no far flung pipe dream. "I can't speak Irish properly - and that's a requirement - but I wish I could. Though my husband always said he wouldn't move into a smaller house or walk behind me!" she joked. Perhaps in 10 years she might be more fluent? "That may happen! It would be a huge honor. I think Mary McAleese is a great president, and Mary Robinson was a great president. You know when you see a woman coming into a position that was previously held by a man, that they will take the job on...' Intriguing, yes? She'd certainly make a wonderful candidate, and seeing that the couple's four children, now aged between six and 19, would be fully grown in a decade, maybe she'll go for it. In the meantime, there are her environmentally friendly clothing and skin care companies to concentrate on, Edun and Nude, which also promote fair trade practices. Ali is every bit as interested in promoting the well-being of the African continent as her husband. "I know how I want to try and live my life," she says. "I know I don't want to leave any darkness behind me. I think we should all have a responsibility not to affect other people in a negative way. It starts with your children - you see how trusting they are, so small and so innocent. That's why I got involved in the Chernobyl project, because of what happened to the children there." Ali and Bono have one of the strongest unions in the crazy world of celebrity. They've been married since 1982 and are seemingly as happy now as they were then. Bono, Ali says, was her first real boyfriend. "It was 1976 that we got together - the same year that the band formed. I saw their first gig, in our school gym," the former Alison Stewart recalled. They've spent much time apart as U2 traveled the world and made a name for themselves as one of the planet's biggest rock bands. Ali took the separations in her stride, completing a degree at University College Dublin and raising their children. "There is something to be said for those periods apart," she says. 'It's a great way not to take someone for granted. Mind you, according to him, when he gets home after being on tour I just keep trying to tidy him up. "When he climbs up on the kitchen table at 11 o'clock at night to play a gig, I have to tell him, 'I'm not 60,000 people!' But it's never boring, that's for sure."