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Jacinda Ardern to marry Clarke Gayford this weekend: Here’s everything you need to know about her soon to be husband

Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern will marry her long-time partner Clarke Gayford at a luxury  venue on Saturday after several years of delays and cancellations.

The pair are yet to tie the knot as the former New Zealand Prime Minister dealt with a series of tragedies, including the horror Christchurch terror attack, the White Island volcano eruption and the coronavirus pandemic.

Just a year after the couple got engaged at Easter in 2019, Ardern’s government put in place Covid-19 restrictions came into force which reduced gatherings to 100 people.

As a result, they were forced to cancel plans to wed at the luxury rural estate Nick’s Head Station, located 25km south of Gisborne, in the summer of 2022.

‘Such is life,’ the former prime minister said of their decision to call off the wedding.

‘My wedding will not be going ahead, but I just join many other New Zealanders who have had an experience like that as a result of the pandemic.

‘I am no different to, dare I say, thousands of other New Zealanders.’

Local media has reported that the rescheduled ceremony will be held at a vineyard 200km from the original location, in Hawke’s Bay, on January 13.

Ms Ardern, 43, and Mr Gayford, 47, first met at an awards ceremony in 2012, but they did not begin dating until 2014 after Mr Gayford, contacted the then-Labour politician about proposed legislation in 2013.

Jacinda Ardern will marry her long-time partner Clarke Gayford at an elite venue on Saturday after several years of delays and cancellations (the pair are pictured in January, 2023)

Jacinda Ardern will marry her long-time partner Clarke Gayford at an elite venue on Saturday after several years of delays and cancellations (the pair are pictured in January, 2023)

Jacinda Ardern will marry her long-time partner Clarke Gayford at an elite venue on Saturday after several years of delays and cancellations (the pair are pictured in January, 2023)

She arranged to meet Clarke to discuss the issue over coffee. 

Before long the pair realised they had an awful lot in common, including a shared love of music and previous experience turning tables as DJs. They became friends, before their relationship began to blossom into something more. 

In an interview with Woman’s Weekly, Clarke revealed he took the politician on a fishing trip on their first date so he could share his biggest passion with her – and he realised he had met his match when she reeled in a 5.4kg snapper. 

He said: ‘The sea was glass flat and we had a huge pod of dolphins join us. It was literally Jacinda’s first cast and she was like, ‘Ooh! Something’s pulling!’

‘She pulled in a 5.4kg snapper. And she said, ‘Is that good?’ And I was like, ‘That’s real good!”

The couple grew closer as they bonded over fishing and seafood, with Clarke revealing he wooed her by turning up to her house with crayfish. 

They went on to have their daughter Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford in 2018.

Before dating Ms Ardern, Mr Gayford was famous in New Zealand, with various roles in the media as a radio host, DJ and presenter.

Mr Gayford is the current host of ‘Fish of the Day,’ a series dedicated fishing in the pacific ocean, as well as ‘Moving Houses,’ a show that revolves around the process of relocating houses. 

Mr Gayford, was there to support Ms Ardern last January when she announced she would not be seeking re-election after five years in the role, citing exhaustion. 

She made light of the wedding debacle and included a special shout-out to her partner in the speech, telling him: ‘And to Clarke: let’s finally get married.’

‘I am human. Politicians are human. We give all we can for as long as we can – and then it’s time. And for me, it’s time. I know what this job takes,’ she said at the time.

Just a year after the couple (pictured in 2018) were engaged at Easter in 2019, a series of Covid-19 restrictions came into force including gatherings being restricted to 100 people

Just a year after the couple (pictured in 2018) were engaged at Easter in 2019, a series of Covid-19 restrictions came into force including gatherings being restricted to 100 people

Just a year after the couple (pictured in 2018) were engaged at Easter in 2019, a series of Covid-19 restrictions came into force including gatherings being restricted to 100 people 

The couple are pictured after Ms Ardern announced her shock resignation last January

The couple are pictured after Ms Ardern announced her shock resignation last January

The couple are pictured after Ms Ardern announced her shock resignation last January

The couple (pictured with their baby daughter Neve in 2018) began dating in 2014

The couple (pictured with their baby daughter Neve in 2018) began dating in 2014

The couple (pictured with their baby daughter Neve in 2018) began dating in 2014

Local media has reported the rescheduled ceremony will be held at a vineyard, 200km away from the original location, in Hawke's Bay on January 13

Local media has reported the rescheduled ceremony will be held at a vineyard, 200km away from the original location, in Hawke's Bay on January 13

Local media has reported the rescheduled ceremony will be held at a vineyard, 200km away from the original location, in Hawke’s Bay on January 13

Ms Ardern joined Ivy League institution Harvard University in late 2023 in three fellowship roles in leadership and fighting online extremism.

She will spend a semester at Harvard Kennedy School as the 2023 Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow and as a Hauser Leader in the school’s Center for Public Leadership to engage with students on ‘principled leadership’.

Ms Ardern has also signed with Penguin Random House to write a book on how to be ‘your own kind of leader and still make a difference’. 

The former leader is understood to have received a $1.5million advance for the book.

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