Born to and Germaine Ali Bakir, of Kabyle origin, she graduated in law at the University of Liège after which she worked as a lawyer for 10 years.
Her father, Gaston Onkelinx, originally a Dutch-speaking migrant from Flemish Limburg to francophone Wallonia, has long been mayor of Seraing (near Liège) and member of the House of Representatives (1974-1987).