Carrie Symonds is a British political and environmental activist. She is the wife of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson.
Wiki/Biography
Carrie Johnson (née Symonds) [1]The Guardian was born on Thursday, March 17, 1988 (aged 33, 2021) in London, England. Her full name is Caroline Louise Bevan Johnson. Her zodiac sign is Pisces. Her mother raised her in East Sheen, London. From 1999 to 2006 she studied at the Godolphin and Latymer School in London. In 2009, she graduated with a BA (Honours) in Art History and Theater Studies from the University of Warwick, Coventry, England. [2]Carrie Symonds- LinkedIn
Carrie Symonds during her college
Physical appearance
- Height (approx): 5′ 7″
- Eye color: Green
- Hair color: Blonde
Family & Ethnicity
Parents & Siblings
She was born to Matthew Symonds, co-founder of The Independent, and Josephine Mcaffee (née Lawrence), a former lawyer working for The Independent.
Carrie Symond’s mother, Josephine Mcaffee
The father of Carrie Symonds, Matthew Symonds
Carrie’s parents were lovers, even when they were married to different people. She has two half-siblings; from his father’s marriage, he has a son and a daughter.
Relationships, Spouses, and Children
She was earlier in a relationship with British political journalist Harry Cole.
Carrie Symonds with Harry Cole
In 2018, she began dating Boris Johnson, then Foreign Secretary, while Boris was still married to his second wife, Marina Wheeler. In July 2019, when Boris became Prime Minister of the UK, the couple moved to 10 Downing Street.
Carrie Symonds with Boris Johnson
On February 29, 2020, Carrie and Boris announced that they got engaged at the end of 2019 and expected a baby in mid-2019. On April 29, 2020, at University College Hospital, London, she gave birth to her and Boris’s son, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson.
Carrie Symonds and Boris Johnson with their son
On May 29, 2021, she and Boris married in a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral attended by around 30 guests.
Wedding picture of Carrie Symonds and Boris Johnson
In December 2021, she gave birth to Boris’ daughter, Romy Iris Charlotte Johnson. [3]BBC
Daughter of Carrie and Boris, Romy Iris Charlotte Johnson
Other relatives
Her paternal grandfather, John Beavan, was a British journalist who worked for newspapers such as The Guardian and Daily Herald. Her maternal grandmother, Anne Symonds, was an English culture and politics presenter for the BBC World Service. His paternal step-grandfather, Richard Symonds, was an English scholar and civil servant. She is the daughter-in-law of Stanley Johnson (British author and former Member of European Parliament (MEP) for Wight and Hampshire East) and Charlotte Johnson Wahl (British artist).
Stanley Johnson
Carrie Symon’s husband and mother-in-law
She is the sister-in-law of Rachel Johnson (British journalist, TV presenter, and author), Jo Johnson (British politician), and Julia Johnson (English author and singer-songwriter).
Boris Johnson with his father and siblings
Julia Johnson
She is also the sister-in-law of Amelia Gentleman, British journalist, and wife of Jo Johnson.
The sister In-law of Carrie Symonds, Amelia Gentleman
Career
From August 2007 to October 2008, she interned at Fishburn Hedges, Mulberry Marketing Communications, Icas Limited (Publicity), and Doner Cardwell Hawkins. In July-October 2009, she worked as an account manager at Mulberry Marketing Communications. From October 2009 to September 2010, she worked as a public affairs intern at Lansons Communications LLP, where her clients included JPMorgan Chase, PayPal, Citibank, Friends Provident, and Martin Currie Limited.
Conservative Party (UK)
In 2009, Carrie joined the Conservative Party (UK) as a press officer. In the 2010 London Conservative Party mayoral elections, she campaigned for Boris Johnson. From September 2010 to February 2011, she worked as Campaign and Marketing Director for Zac Goldsmith of the Richmond Park Conservative Association. From December 2011 to May 2012, she worked as a political press officer for the Back Boris 2012 campaign. In January 2011, she became a political press adviser for the Conservative Party at the Conservative campaign headquarters. In June 2013, she was appointed Head of Broadcasting for the Conservative Party, a position she left in 2015. As Media Supervisor, she worked for Conservative Party MPs Sajid Javid (July 2016-May 2017) and John Whittingdale (May 2015-July 2016). In the 2017 general election, she worked as a campaign supervisor for Zac Goldsmith. In June 2017, she was appointed director of communications for the Conservative Party. She left the post later in 2018.
Conservationism
She then started working as a public relations officer at Oceana, a non-profit ocean conservation organization. She is also a patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation. Apart from that, she actively campaigned against Japanese whaling and trophy hunting.
Carrie Symonds protesting against whaling
In April 2020, she called for an end to wet markets. She even convinced British supermarkets to stop selling coconut products made using monkey “slave labor” in Thailand. She has worked hard for years to highlight the threat of plastic pollution to various marine species.
Controversies
- In 2007, aged 19, she was driving home from a King’s Road nightclub in a taxi driven by taxi driver John Worboys, who was convicted in the 2009 serial rape cases. According to Carrie, John offered her champagne, which was doped. , but she refused to drink it. John then offered her some vodka, which she drank a little. She went home vomiting and laughing before passing out and waking up at 3 p.m. the next day. In 2009, she testified against John at his trial and thirteen other women. She was the youngest victim of John Worboys and has waived her anonymity. Talking about it in an interview, she said,
A sad, mean man who is a danger to society. I feel so angry that he pleaded not guilty and put us through the pain of testifying in court.
When he was released in early 2018, she campaigned against him, successfully mobilizing a judicial review of the decision. His efforts were successful when John was again imprisoned. [4]Standard
- In 2018, Carrie stepped down as the Conservative Party’s communications director. Sources say she was asked to leave by party leaders who claimed she had performed poorly. There were also rumors that she mismanaged spending. However, these rumors were denied by party workers. [5]Mirror
- In June 2019, Carrie and Boris Johnson got into a nasty verbal fight, which was recorded by one of their neighbors at Carrie’s flat in south London. Regarding the safety of the women, the neighbors called the police on the spot. Officers said there were no offenses that required police action. The recording made headlines, however, featuring Carrie and Boris screaming, shouting, and banging things. It also raised questions about their strained relationship. The couple dismissed it as a romantic tiff. [6]The Straits Time
- In August 2019, Carrie applied for a visa for a few days to travel to the United States for work, but US authorities blocked her request, citing her five-day visit to Somaliland in the Horn of Africa. [7]News.com.au
Carrie Symonds on her trip to Somaliland
- In January 2020, concerns were raised about her influence on the Prime Minister when she received memoirs from the Badgers Trust weeks before the government withdrew the badger cull in Derbyshire. The National Farmers Union (NFU), representing farmers, claimed that because of it the government had ignored scientific advice to keep the culling. According to The Guardian, a judicial review has been granted to examine how the decision was made. [8]The Guardian
Favorites
- Food: Oysters
- TV Series: Fleabag (2016)
- Group: ABBA
Facts / Anecdotes
- She enjoys birdwatching and became interested in it after visiting a puffin colony at Bempton in East Yorkshire. She also enjoys watching movies and TV and dancing in her spare time.
- She likes to go out drinking with her friends and loves Negroni and Fizz cocktails. [9]Standard
A picture of Carrie Symonds with a drink
- She originally wanted to become an actress and auditioned for a role in the 2007 romantic war drama Atonement. After failing, she realized she wasn’t cut out for acting and instead came into communication.
- After Boris Johnson became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, he moved to 10 Downing Street with Carrie, they became the first unmarried couple to live in the Prime Minister’s official residence. She got the title of “First Girlfriend” after that. [10]The Irish Times
- Carrie practices Catholicism and her son, Wilfred, was baptized into the Catholic Church. [11]The Irish Times
- Since 2021, Carrie and Boris have resided above 11 Downing Street, City of Westminster, London. [12]The Guardian
As director of communications for the Conservative Party, she earned £80,000 a year. After quitting her job, she received £20,000 compensation. [13]Mirror
- She is an animal lover. In South Wales, Carrie and Boris adopted a fifteen-week-old Jack Russell mix puppy from an animal rescue charity. The pup was abandoned by puppy breeders and rescued by Friends of Animals Wales in Rhondda. Later, Carrie and Boris adopted the puppy and named him Dilyn.
Carrie Symonds with her pet, Dilyn
- She follows a vegan diet and was named PETA’s Person of the Year in 2020. [14]Vegan Food and Living According to PETA,
Carrie Symonds is a fearless force for good when it comes to making the world a kinder place for animals. PETA is thrilled to honor him for using his platform to encourage people to spare a thought for our fellow animals with whom we share this planet.
