LONDON, April 30 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday became a father again when his partner Carrie Symonds gave birth to a healthy baby boy, just weeks after he himself was hospitalised with coronavirus.
The news came as a surprise, as Symonds, 32, was not thought to be due for several weeks, but both she and the baby were said to be doing “very well”.
Messages of congratulations poured in from across the political spectrum for the couple, who have in recent weeks been confronted with the realities of the global coronavirus outbreak up close.
Johnson, 55, only returned to work on Monday after being hospitalised with COVID-19, including three nights in intensive care during which he later said “things could have gone either way”.
Symonds, a former head of communications for the Conservative party, also reported having symptoms of the virus, although she recovered at home.
“The prime minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning,” a spokesman for the couple said.
“Both mother and baby are doing very well.”
Johnson is reported to have attended the birth at an unnamed state-run National Health Service (NHS) hospital in London.
The prime minister has at least five other children, including four with his second wife, Marina Wheeler, from whom he split in 2018.
He also had a daughter as a result of an extra-marital affair while he was mayor of London, according to a 2013 court case.
Johnson and Symonds, who announced in February that they were engaged, last year became the first unmarried couple to live in Downing Street.
However, the new baby will not be the first — former prime ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron both became fathers while in office.
Johnson is the most high-profile world leader to contract COVID-19, and Britain is among the worst hit countries in the global pandemic, with more than 21,000 deaths so far.
