Michelle Obama says ‘I love you back’ to 59th birthday messages

Michelle Obama has thanked fans for their birthday wishes and “supporting me during every step of my journey”.

The former First Lady received messages from thousands of people online, including from famous faces including her husband, Octavia Spencer and Ellen DeGeneres.

Obama turned 59 on Tuesday.

“Thank you all for the birthday love,” she wrote on social media.

“I say this a lot, and I mean it—I love you back, and I am so grateful for you supporting me during every step of my journey.”

Her husband, former president Barack Obama, said that his wife made “every day brighter” as he shared a picture of the two.

“Happy birthday, @MichelleObama. You make every day brighter — and somehow keep looking better!” he wrote.

In her own tweet, Oscar-winning actress Spencer wrote that Obama was: “Constantly raising the bar for all of us and doing it flawlessly!”

“Happy birthday, @MichelleObama, I love you so much,” DeGeneres wrote.

The US talk show host shared a comical video of the pair at a book signing event for Obama’s book Becoming.