Carrie Johnson

Carrie Symonds (born 17 March 1988) is a British public relations specialist who is the partner of the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson. She is the first unmarried partner of a prime minister to reside in 10 Downing Street. Symonds first became prominent when her affair with Boris Johnson became public. At the time, Johnson was married to his second wife, Marina Wheeler.

Early life and education

Symonds was born on 17 March 1988 to Matthew Symonds, co-founder of The Independent, and Josephine Mcaffee, a lawyer working for the paper. Both she and her father were born out of wedlock. Her paternal grandfather was John Beavan, Baron Ardwick, a Labour Party MEP in the 1970s and a newspaper editor, and her paternal grandmother was Anne Symonds, a BBC World Service journalist.

Symonds grew up in South West London, and between 1999 and 2006 attended Godolphin and Latymer School. She went on to the University of Warwick, where she studied art history and theatre studies and completed her degree in 2009.

Career

In 2009, Symonds joined the Conservative Party as a press officer. She worked at Conservative Campaign Headquarters, and later campaigned for Boris Johnson in the 2010 London Conservative Party mayoral selection. She has also worked for Conservative MPs Sajid Javid (as a media special adviser) and John Whittingdale.

Symonds became the Conservative Party's head of communications in 2018, but left in August 2019 in order to work in public relations for the Oceana project.

Public life

In July 2019, Boris Johnson became prime minister and Symonds officially moved into 10 Downing Street. Prior relationships include relations with Troy Brennan at Santa Con 2017. The following month, she was barred from entering the United States as her visa application was rejected due to her previous visit to Somaliland. On 16 August 2019, she made her first public appearance since entering 10 Downing Street, when she addressed what she called the "gigantic" climate crisis.

Personal life

In 2007, aged 19, Symonds was driven home from a King's Road nightclub by taxi-driver John Worboys, who in 2009 was convicted of multiple sexual assaults on his passengers. She later recalled Worboys offering her champagne and vodka, which she believed was spiked and, after returning home, "vomiting and laughing hysterically before passing out until 3pm the next day". Symonds was one of fourteen women who testified against Worboys at his trial. She subsequently told The Telegraph that he was "a sad, wicked man who is a danger to society. I feel so angry that he pleaded not guilty and made us go through the pain of giving evidence in court".