Malicious fake rumours about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her fiancé Clarke Gayford are being circulated by thousands of online trolls.
The baseless claims target almost every facet of the couple’s life – including their relationship – and are being circulated on Facebook and Reddit forums dedicated to unfounded hearsay about the prime minister and her partner.
The rumours are understood to have existed in some form since Ms Ardern became the New Zealand leader in 2017.
But they are believed to have spread even more rapidly in recent weeks as thousands of protesters rallied outside the country’s parliament building in Wellington to demonstrate against Covid vaccine mandates.
A spokesman for Ms Ardern’s office told Daily Mail Australia it doesn’t respond to ‘fake internet rumours’ but declined to comment further.
Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to reveal the nature of the claims for legal reasons.
Clarke Gayford and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern were due to marry this summer before the country’s escalating Covid situation forced them to delay their plans (pictured, Clarke Gayford and Jacinda Ardern)
Daily Mail Australia has also contacted Mr Gayford’s representatives for comment.
The PM was due to wed her television host fiancé this summer in Gisborne on the North Island after becoming engaged in early 2019.
But she postponed the nuptials after raising the national Covid alert to red in January following the discovery of nine Omicron cases in the community with no link to the border.
Mr Gayford is a celebrity in his own right in New Zealand, well known as a DJ and radio host, and more recently as a television presenter of shows including Extraordinary Kiwis, Fish of the Day and Moving Houses.
He revealed in a Valentine Day’s tribute to his fiancé last year he would turn up at her house with crayfish in the early stages of dating in 2013.
The couple planned to walk down the aisle earlier but have been set back by a series of tragedies including the Christchurch terror attack and the White Island volcano eruption in 2019 and the coronavirus pandemic.
Ms Ardern first met the 44-year-old at an awards event in 2012 but didn’t begin dating until the following year.
Clarke Gayford, 44, is a celebrity in his own right in New Zealand and well known as a DJ, radio host and television presenter
The couple welcomed daughter Neve Te Aroha in June 2018.
Ms Ardern confirmed in April 2019 her partner popped the question that Easter after she was spotted wearing what appeared to be an engagement ring on her left hand.
The proposal took place at the top of Mokotahi Hill in Mahia on North Island’s east coast with a ring that belonged to Gayford’s grandmother.
‘It was Clarke, myself, a member of the DPS (Diplomatic Protection Squad), a couple of locals from Mahia and a dog which tried to eat the chocolate that Clarke bought me at the same time, so it was very romantic,’ she said at the time.
The couple have been together since 2013 and are parents to three-year-old Neve Te Aroha
‘There are some things I don’t mind keeping for ourselves.’
‘This is a very public job and I’m quite happy to put quite a bit of ourselves out there. But there are some things I wouldn’t mind keeping to ourselves.’
Ms Ardern previously revealed honeymoon plans will be put on the backburner.
‘I’ll probably be going back to work,’ she told MoreFM in July of last year.
‘I guess it’s my choice, for having major life events while in this job. So, no one’s fault except my own. No complaints from us.’
Clarke Gayford popped the question to his fiancée Jacinda Ardern over Easter in April 2019
Ms Ardern became only the second elected female leader to have a child while in office and the first since Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 1990.
Her fiancé shared a gushing romantic tribute after she was elected as Prime Minister for a second term in 2020.
The fake rumours come as it emerged protesters demonstrating against vaccine mandates are planning to cause disruption in the national capital Wellington for weeks to come.
Hundreds are expected to camp on the front lawn for up to three months, police claim.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster last week said illegally parked cars may be removed by police, but that officers have not begun towing vehicles yet.
Protestors have gathered on the New Zealand parliament lawns, carparks and surrounding areas in recent weeks to protest against Covid vaccine mandates
Daily Mail Australia received a statement from speaker Trevor Mallard, the Chair of the Parliamentary Service Commission, following Commission discussions.
‘There will be no dialogue with protesters currently occupying the Parliament until the protest returns to one within the law.
‘Including the clearing of all illegally parked vehicles that are blocking streets, the removal of unauthorised structures, and the cessation of the intimidation of Wellingtonians,’ the statement reads.
