‘She said yes’: Aussie PM Albanese reveals Valentine’s Day engagement
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Beneath the announcement he posted a selfie, reportedly taken on Valentine’s Day, of the pair smiling into the lens.
PHOTO: ALBOMP/X
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SYDNEY - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Feb 16 revealed his Valentine’s Day engagement to girlfriend Jodie Haydon, after “she said yes” to a carefully planned marriage proposal.
The words “Canberra” and “romance” are rarely twinned, but on Feb 15 the centre-left leader one-upped Valentines across Australia, with a morning message that the pair had agreed to wed.
“It is such a joy to be able to share this news with people,” a beaming and slightly bashful Mr Albanese said, after walking hand-in-hand with Ms Haydon from the prime minister’s official residence.
“It’s wonderful that I’ve found a partner who I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Mr Albanese, who met Ms Haydon at a Melbourne business dinner in 2020, is believed to be the first Australian prime minister to get engaged while in office, public broadcaster ABC reported.
Ms Haydon gushed thanks to “everybody for such a warm congratulations today, from our friends to our family, from people that we don’t know. It’s just been overwhelming but beautiful.”
Among those wishing the couple well were New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and English celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.
In Mr Albanese’s Instagram post, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong commented: “Congratulations to you and Jodie! See you soon!”
“Love is a beautiful thing. I’m so happy for you both!” Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong posted.
Mr Albanese revealed that “a lot of planning and thought went into everything, from the date obviously Valentine’s Day, and the ring that I helped to design.”
A smattering of online critics suggested Mr Albanese was distracting from pressing issues, from the war in Gaza to the legal case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Mr Albanese, nicknamed Albo, joined the centre-left Labor Party while in high school and later became deeply involved in the bruising world of student politics at the University of Sydney.
He was sworn in as prime minister in May 2022.
The Australian leader was elected to Parliament in 1996, and in his first speech thanked his mother Maryanne Ellery for raising him in tough circumstances.
The pair lived in public housing in Sydney during Mr Albanese’s childhood, and his single mother often struggled to make ends meet. AFP
