In an interview onTodaythis week, British Prime MinisterBoris Johnsonconfirmed a long-held suspicion about the number of children he has — tellingSavannah Guthriethat he actually has six kids and not five, as has been previously acknowledged.
Johnson, 57, spoke with Guthrie about a range of topics, including the U.K.’s relationship with America, finding common ground withJoe Bidenand his bustling home life.
But it was a passing comment about fatherhood thatdrew notice.
Asked whether he had six children, Johnson confirmed that he in fact did, later adding with a laugh: “I change a lot of nappies.”
The conservative politician — who has contended with his share of scrutiny amid thecoronavirus pandemicand the country’s exit from the European Union — shares four children with his ex-wife Marina Wheeler and a son with his wife Carrie Johnson.
Johnson also has another daughter, who has long been the source of speculation in British political circles and in the the British press. In 2010, he was said to have allegedly fathered the child with a woman during an extramarital affair.
That assertion (amidother claims of affairs) led to a legal battle waged for years in the U.K., with news organizations at one point being banned from reporting on the child’s existence.
In 2013, according toThe Guardian, a court overturned that decision, ruling that thepublic had a right to knowthat Johnson fathered the child during an alleged “brief adulterous affair.” He has long avoided commenting on his kids, however.
But speaking to Guthrie in the interview that aired Tuesday, Johnson said “it’s fantastic” to have his growing family in the prime minister’s official residence at 10 Downing St.
“It’s a lot of work,” Johnson said onTodayof his political and home duties. “It’s a lot of work, I’ll tell you that much. But I love it.”
He and wifeCarrie Symonds Johnson, a former Conservative Party spokeswoman, welcomed their son,Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, in April 2020 at a London hospital.
Carrie, 32, is now expecting another child, thecouple announced in July— months after she suffered a miscarriage. (Johnson has four children from a previous marriage.)
The couple wed in a surprise, last-minute May ceremony at Westminster Cathedral in London, after they had previously sent out invitations for a July 2022 wedding.
Carrie is a former communications director with the U.K.’s Conservative Party, which Johnson has been the leader of since mid-2019 as he shepherded the country toward a controversial “Brexit.”
From left: U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds Johnson.Stefan Rousseau - WPA Pool /Getty Images
Elsewhere in hisTodayinterview, the prime minister spoke about his relationship with U.S. President Biden, whom he said is a “breath of fresh air.”
He stopped short, however, of placing the blame with Trump (in what would have been an unusually blunt move for a foreign leader).
“I have no knowledge of what happened but let me put it this way: My admiration for American democracy is undimmed,” Johnson said.
The prime minister also spoke to Guthrie about Trump’s successor, saying working with Biden has been refreshing and that despite their political differences they share some priorities.
Boris Johnson (left) and Joe Biden.Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty; Chip Somodevilla/Getty
“What I will say about Joe Biden, dealing with the new American president, is it is a breath of fresh air in the sense that there are some things in which we can really, really work together,” Johnson said.
source: people.com
