A Student Journalist Was the First to Notice New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Got Engaged
New Zealand Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern and her longtime partner Clarke Gayford officially got engaged over Easter weekend, though the news of their impending nuptials almost went unnoticed.
According to the New York Times, Ardern had apparently been wearing a ring since Monday, but it wasn't until an eagle-eyed student journalist on an internship spotted the ring on Friday that the news got out.
Ardern and Gayford have known each for about six years, according to NBC, and the two have a 10-month-old daughter together named Neve Te Aroha. Gayford is a stay-at-home parent and also the host of a fishing TV show called Fish of the Day.
Ardern is only the second elected leader in modern history to give birth while in office. Her political rise was dubbed "Jacindamania," due to her ability to garner support and connect with the public, and it only continued while she was in office. (She once made news when she took her baby with her to general assembly meetings at the United Nations.)
Ardern made headlines again after the recent shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Ardern was noted as being an especially compassionate and thoughtful leader, meeting with families of the victims and members of the Muslim community, and later helping to pass a law that made most semi-automatic weapons in the country illegal.
Back in January, NBC reports that Ardern was asked whether she would consider being the one to propose to Gayford. Ardern said, "Absolutely, I'm a feminist. But I want to put him through the pain and torture of having to agonize about that question himself. That's letting him off the hook, absolutely not." Perfection.
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