Boris Johnson’s marriage to his third wife Carrie Johnson, née Symonds, has sparked plenty of curiosity over the years – not least because of their sizeable age gap.
There are 24 years between the former PM and the media consultant, whose personal lives are glimpsed through Carrie’s fashionable Instagram feed. However, you’re unlikely to get much in the way of gossip from Johnson’s new memoir Unleashed, which focuses more on his turbulent – and frequently controversial – time at the helm of number 10.
On the surface at least, the pair appear rather different. Carrie, 36, is a stylish modern mum who loves posting about dreamy family holidays, latest Vinted steals and lunches out with her wide circle of friends. 60-year-old Boris on the other hand is known for his more traditional approach, with his love of classics, Shakespeare and iconic leaders such as Winston Churchill earning him a reputation as a British eccentric.
Indeed, emphasising their differences in a post welcoming their third child, Frank Alfred Odysseus Johnson, an amused Carrie quipped, ‘Can you guess which name my husband chose?’ But how did this unlikely pair meet, and what is their relationship really like behind closed doors? Here, the Mirror takes a look at Boris and Carrie’s May-December romance…
First meeting
Although not too much is known about how their connection turned romantic, it’s believed Boris and Carrie first laid eyes on each other way back in 2009 – 10 years before they went public with their relationship. At this time, Carrie was a newly graduated 21-year-old working as a press officer for the Tory party, while Johnson was still married to his second wife, the lawyer Marina Wheeler.
One year after her appointment, Carrie campaigned for Boris Johnson in the 2010 London Conservative Party mayoral selection. It was at this time that Carrie’s career began to soar, with the media consultant enjoying a range of top appointments, including as special advisor to former Secretary of State, Sajid Javid.
The year of rumours
In 2018, by which point Carrie had risen to become the party’s Head of Communications, rumours had started to swirl around the pair, particularly after the then-foreign Secretary was seen shooting the future Mrs Johnson a doting look at they left a Tory fundraiser in February.
In March, Johnson attended Carrie’s ABBA-themed 30th birthday party – viewed as a sign of a growing friendship. Then, in September of that same year, Johnson and Marina announced they were getting a divorce, with the former couple releasing a joint statement shortly after The Sun reported on fresh allegations of the politician being unfaithful.
That same month, as reported by the Mail Online, Johnson was allegedly spotted enjoying a meal at Covent Garden’s Rules restaurant, accompanied by a ‘young attractive’ blonde woman. An onlooker shared: “It seemed quite an intimate meal and hardly anything to do with any great matters of State.”
It’s unclear whether or not the young woman in question was Carrie, however, it was around this time that the rising political star allegedly chatted with pals about ‘mischievous text messages from Boris’ while attending a wedding. One guest claimed: “Carrie was having a good time and was quite thrilled with all the texts she was getting. Then all of a sudden a car turned up and everyone said Carrie was off in Boris’s car. There was speculation that it might even have been a ministerial car that picked her up because it was a nice motor.”
Fiery row
Johnson and Carrie confirmed they were in a relationship in 2019, with the pair pictured holding hands lovingly during a countryside jaunt in June of that year. By this point, Carrie had left her job for the Tories to work for ocean conservation charity, Oceana.
In the same month they went public, neighbours told the Mirror how they’d heard sounds of plates smashing and ‘shouting’ at the couple’s Camberwell home.
A woman, who gave her name as Fatima, told us: “All I heard was shouting and screaming from the lady. I couldn’t hear clearly – she was really angry though. I could hear things being thrown around and smashing.
“I was already awake because I was watching something on TV. I had to mute it because I have never heard shouting and smashing things like that. I am not used to that it is a quiet neighbourhood – there’s nothing that goes in so that’s why I was concerned.”
Confirming that she had been concerned for the woman’s safety, nursery worker Fatima, who lived in a neighbouring flat, continued: “I didn’t call the police because the police arrived like a few minutes after. I saw a police van and a police car turn up. I knew they would probably deal with the situation.
“It went on for just over ten minutes. His voice was quite quiet but her voice was more loud. I couldn’t make out what she was saying because she was just very, very angry. The police car pulled up and then a police van a few minutes later. They were there less than ten minutes.”
The following month, as Johnson became Prime Minister, Carrie made history as the first unmarried partner of a PM to reside at Number 10. From outcries over £840 a roll of gold-covered wallpaper to whispers of Carrie wielding power behind the scenes, their time in office sparked plenty of controversies.
Discussing Carrie’s apparently formidable influence at the time, a source told Tatler: “Who she trusts and who has her ear is hugely important. If you are a cabinet minister trying to survive, you’d do well to start getting on with her.” This influence apparently wasn’t lost on Johnson who, reportedly under Carrie’s encouragement, spent more time outdoors, lost weight, and even trimmed his famous hair.
First baby and secret wedding
In February 2020, a spokesperson made a double announcement, revealing that the couple were engaged and expecting their first baby together. The spokesperson said: ‘The Prime Minister and Miss Symonds are very pleased to announce their engagement and that they are expecting a baby in the early summer.”
Making her own personal statement via Instagram that same month, Carrie wrote: “Many of you already know but for my friends that still don’t, we got engaged at the end of last year… and we’ve got a baby hatching early summer. Feel incredibly blessed.”
Taking to Instagram in April of that year, Carrie shared that she had given birth to their son, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, declaring that her ‘heart is full’. Explaining the special meaning behind Wilfred’s name, she revealed that their choice had been partly inspired by the medics who’d cared for her husband during his harrowing Covid ordeal.
She explained: “Wilfred after Boris’ grandfather Lawrie after my grandfather Nicholas after Dr Nick Price and Dr Nick Hart – the two doctors that saved Boris’ life last month.”
On May 29, 2021, Carrie and Johnson tied the knot in a secret wedding at Westminster Cathedral, sticking to a low-key affair with just 30 guests amid the restrictions of the Coronavirus pandemic. Sharing a snap of herself in her thrifty £45 rented wedding gown, Carrie declared she was ‘very, very happy’.
Family life and second wedding
In July 2021, Johnson and Carrie announced they were expecting their second baby together, welcoming daughter Romy Iris Charlotte in December 2021. Little Frank Alfred Odysseus Johnson followed suit on July 5, 2023.
One year after their first wedding, in the summer of 2022, Johnson and Carrie said ‘I do’ once more in a boho chic style ceremony held at the Grade I-listed in the Cotswolds – owned by one of the top Conservative Party supporters, JCB chairman Lord Bamford. Guests enjoyed an al fresco feast, while Carrie wore a garland of white flowers.
By this point Johnson was preparing to leave office amid the scandal of ‘Partygate’, with sources at the time suggesting the former PM was clinging to power so that he could hold the nuptials at Chequers. A source told The Mirror: ‘It beggars belief that even after all the criticism Johnson has faced regarding integrity and probity, one of the reasons he is staying is to have his wedding party at Chequers.
‘It’s a national asset not his personal home. The Johnsons should do the decent thing and find a different venue. And Boris should do the decent thing and leave No 10 immediately.”
Now out of the political fishbowl, Carrie’s Instagram feed continues to allow followers to keep up with the Johnsons, including their jaunts to Hollywood, Sardinia, and the South of France. And although there are plenty of down-to-earth family posts on show, from zoo trips to caring for baby ducklings, there are also more various pics that display a rather less than relatable life of glamour and wealth.
Back in July, the pair attended the ‘wedding of the year’ an opulent £250m celebration to mark the marriage of Anant Ambani, the son of India’s wealthiest man, and Radhika Merchant, a pharmaceutical heiress.
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