A string of affairs and multiple children: The complicated family life of Boris Johnson.

This post mentions abortion and miscarriage and might be triggering for some readers. 

Boris Johnson has announced he will quit as UK prime minister after losing the support of his ministers and most Conservative MPs. 

After more than 50 ministers quit, Boris said it was clear his party wanted someone else in charge but that his forced departure was "eccentric".

"Today I have appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place," he said outside his Downing Street office.

"I know that there will be many people who are relieved and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed. And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world. But them's the breaks," he added, making no apology for the events that forced his announcement.

The 58-year-old, whose leadership has been mired in scandals over the last few months, said he will stay on until his successor is chosen. 

Watch: Boris Johnson announces his resignation as UK Prime Minister. Post continues below.

There were cheers and applause as he began his resignation speech, while boos rang out from some outside the gates of Downing Street.

His wife, Carrie Johnson, was also in attendance along with the couple's daughter, Romy. 

Image: Getty.

As the family prepares for some big changes ahead, here's everything we know about Boris' family life and past relationships. 

Johnson’s marriage to Marina Wheeler and a string of affairs.

Boris Johnson and Marina Wheeler in 2009. Image: Getty.

Boris married Marina Wheeler in 1993, just weeks after divorcing his first wife, Allegra Mostyn-Owen.

Five weeks into their marriage, Marina gave birth to their first child Lara Lettice.

The couple would go on to have three more children: Milo Arthur, Cassia Peaches and Theodore Apollo.

But seven years into their marriage, Marina became aware that Boris was having an affair with journalist, Petronella Wyatt.

In November 2004, tabloids discovered that Petronella had an abortion a month earlier, which was confirmed by her mother. Boris denied the affair, calling it "complete balderdash". 

It was later found to be true and his lies cost him his post as the shadow culture minister.

Then came news of another affair 18 months later.

The News of the World reported Boris was having an affair with journalist Anna Fazackerley. The paper had hacked her phone and hired a private investigator to follow her.

The 58-year-old was later embroiled in another affair with arts consultant Helen MacIntyre, with whom he fathered a daughter named Stephanie, in 2009.

Listen: The Mamamia Out Loud team discuss the fact that Boris Johnson won't reveal how many children he has. Post continues below.

In 2012, Britain's High Court ruled the media was justified in publishing stories about the child "because the mayor’s 'recklessness' in conducting extramarital affairs, which has resulted in two children being born, called into question his fitness for public office," The Times reported.

The court case claimed Boris had fathered a sixth child, but there has never been any public information about this, so the exact number of his children remains unconfirmed.

In 2018, he was wrapped up in yet another affair - this time with his now-wife Carrie Johnson. 

Just weeks later, Boris and his wife Marina announced they had begun divorce proceedings after 25 years of marriage.

Boris Johnson's relationship with Carrie Symonds.

 

Boris, 58, and Carrie, 34, announced their engagement back in February 2020, two years after they were first linked together. 

The year before, the couple's relationship made headlines when police were called to an alleged altercation at Carrie's south London home, after they were believed to be fighting.

In a recording made by neighbour Tom Penn, Carrie is heard telling Boris to "get off me" and "get out of my flat," The Guardian reported.

Boris has repeatedly refused to speak about the incident.

The couple went on to welcome their first child, a son named Wilfred, in April 2020. 

A year later, they welcomed their daughter Romy in December 2021. 

Romy is Carrie's second child and is believed to be Boris' seventh. However, he continuously refuses to confirm how many children he has.

In May 2021, Boris and Carrie married in a low-key ceremony at Westminster Cathedral planned in strict secrecy.

Downing Street confirmed the news a day after the ceremony, writing, "The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds were married yesterday afternoon in a small ceremony at Westminster Cathedral... The couple will celebrate their wedding with family and friends next summer."

The ceremony saw Boris became the first prime minister to marry in office since Lord Liverpool married Mary Chester in 1822.

Image: Getty. 

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-With AAP.

This article was originally published on April 29, 2020, and was updated on July 8, 2021. 

Feature Image: Stefan Rousseau - Pool/Getty Images/Mamamia.