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She steered New Zealand through volcanic eruptions, terrorist attacks and a pandemic, winning a record-breaking majority and becoming, at 37, the world’s youngest female head of government.
But fans and watchers of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, 43, who announced her resignation almost exactly a year ago, have kept coming back to the same question since her early days on the world stage. Ta. Her fiancé, TV presenter Clark Gayford, 47, will be getting married.
On Saturday, the couple finally got an answer as they released their official wedding portrait to the press.
The ceremony, held at the Craggy Range vineyard in New Zealand’s stunning Hawke’s Bay, comes after a once-abandoned effort and more than five years of media speculation. In January 2019, a BBC interviewer prompted accusations of sexism when she pressed Ardern and Gayford on whether they would marry or whether they would consider proposing if Gayford did not ask the question. It became. Similar questions have dogged Ardern ever since.
The couple, who have been together for 10 years and share five-year-old daughter Neve Ardern-Gayford, met in 2012. The couple announced their engagement in May 2019 after a student journalist spotted a gleaming ring on Ardern’s ring. Pointed her finger at her office and asked about it.
But the busy couple was unable to get married until the coronavirus pandemic hit in early 2020. A particularly harsh response from New Zealand, led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, prompted the country to close its borders and impose a strict lockdown.
The wedding, scheduled for January 2022, then went ahead as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern imposed nationwide restrictions limiting the number of participants at events to 100 people to combat the impact of the Omicron variant wave. It was canceled a few days before.
“I would venture to say that I am no different from the thousands of other New Zealanders who have been more devastatingly affected by the pandemic. We can’t be together,” she said at a press conference announcing the restrictions at the time. “It will far outweigh any grief I will experience.”
Asked months later about wedding plans, Ardern said it was not at the top of her list. “It’s going to happen someday,” she told a New Zealand radio show. “We haven’t set an exact date, but it’s really more about us getting ourselves organized than anything else.”
When Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced her resignation in January 2023, she gave few clues about her future career plans, including a position on the board of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize and a fellowship at Harvard University.
But she made one public promise to Mr. Gayford, thanking him for his support and sacrifice. “Mr. Clark, let’s finally get married,” she said.
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