Meet New Britain PM Boris Johnson's Girlfriend Carrie Symonds
He's still not divorced from his ex-wife.
instagram As of July 2019, Boris Johnson is the new Prime Minister of the UK, as well as Leader of the Conservative Party. Before this title, he was a Member of Parliament since 2015, and MP for Henley from 2001 to 2008. In addition, Johnson was the Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016, and Foreign Secretary from 2016 to 2018.
But unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know how controversial Johnson is. He’s been criticized for using homophobic and racist language and for lying, cronyism, and elitism. He’s also known for his myriad relationships, including those with his two wives and affairs he’s alleged to have had.
Aside from his appointment to Prime Minister in the wake of Theresa May resigning after the Brexit fiasco, we’re curious to know about his personal life. He’s in the process of divorcing his second wife, Marina Wheeler, since they announced their split less than one year ago, and he’s already dating someone new.
So, who is Boris Johnson’s girlfriend? Here are 8 things to know about Carrie Symonds.
1. She’s from London and had a privileged upbringing.
Symonds is the daughter of Matthew Symonds, co-founder of The Independent, and Josephine Mcaffee, a lawyer and journalist. She grew up quite privileged in southwest London, attending all-girl private schools, including the prestigious Godolphin and Latymer School in Hammersmith.
After private school, she attended the University of Warwick, studying art history and theater. And after graduating, she found jobs in communications and became press officer for the Conservative Party.
2. She’s worked in politics for quite awhihle.
At age 29, Symonds became the youngest director of communications for the Conservative Party, and has helped clean up Johnson’s persona. She was also part of Johnson’s re-election campaign for London’s mayor in 2012. Symonds has also worked for Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, and was an advisor to Tory MP Zac Goldsmith.
3. She’s also an animal rights activist.
Symonds quit her PR job in August 2018, and has joined the conservation charity, Oceana, working as a senior advisor.
According to their website, Symonds “brings extensive knowledge of public policy-making and communications on a national and international level... Carrie is passionate about protecting the oceans and marine life, particularly by reducing plastic pollution. She is a graduate of the University of Warwick where she received first class honors.”
4. Symonds and Johnson were first linked to each other in June of this year.
The couple were photographed together in a “staged photo” after having an argument at their flat. According to The Guardian, authorities were called to their home after hearing a loud altercation. Allegedly, Symonds was heard screaming “get out of my flat” and “get off me,” but when police arrived, they both claimed nothing was wrong.
Of the commotion, a neighbor commented, “There was a smashing sound of what sounded like plates. There were a couple of very loud screams that I’m certain were Carrie and she was shouting to ‘get out’ a lot. She was saying ‘get out of my flat’ and he was saying no. And then there was silence after the screaming. My wife, who was in bed half asleep, had heard a loud bang and the house shook.”
Another neighbor said, “I heard a lot of noise, mostly screaming and shouting. It lasted about ten minutes. I was watching something on TV, I had to mute it. I’ve never heard anything like it before. I heard three or four glass objects being thrown while she was shouting. He had a much calmer voice and was telling her to calm down, but she was still chucking things about. She sounded very angry, shouting and swearing. It did cross my mind to call the police but then they turned up and I was reassured. I saw one police car and a van, they stayed about ten minutes and left. Then it was all quiet for the rest of the night.”
But their relationship may have started earlier than that. An article in The Sun claimed that on Valentine’s Day 2018, Symonds was heard bragging to friends about “spending the night with Boris.” After that, says The Mirror, Johnson said he would “protect” Symonds after dragging her into the media.
5. She’s had scandals of her own.
In August 2018, sources claimed Symonds was asked to leave her position at Conservative HQ for “abusing her expenses.” She was accused of spending the party’s money on a trip to Morocco, while leaving her department understaffed.
UK Metro said Symonds was “costing the party thousands of pounds in unauthorized expenses, which included using taxis for travel home and to restaurants, even when off-duty.” Of course, Symonds and her colleagues called the accusations a “politically motivated smear.”
6. The two have moved into Downing Street.
London’s 10 Downing Street is the headquarters of the Government of the United Kingdom, and residence of the Prime Minister. Since becoming the new PM, Johnson and Symonds have moved into the location. They are the first unmarried occupants in the residence.
According to a source for The Sun, “They’ve been living together a while and have agreed it will carry on if he wins.” But Johnson hasn’t commented on it, saying, “I decided ages ago that I just don’t talk about people I love.”
7. They have a large age difference.
Johnson is 55 years old, while Symonds is 31. That makes Johnson 24 years older than his new girlfriend!
8. She’s had quite an impact on Johnson.
In addition to helping Johnson choose how he spoke during public statements, she also encouraged him to lose weight and pay attention to how he dressed.
Said Caroline Wheeler, deputy political editor at the Sunday Times newspaper, “Since [Carrie's] come on the scene, he’s become a much trimmer figure, he’s lost weight, he’s had his hair cut. .. he’s definitely smartened up his appearance... [Symonds is] a very established political communicator. She’ll know how to keep him on message. He’s been a lot more disciplined figure and lots of people have credited Carrie with that transformation."
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.