Inside Farage's secret (and very colourful) love life

Politicos say the new Reform UK leader's French politician partner could be his secret weapon ahead of the election so how did he keep his eclectic romantic past hidden for so long?,

- Katie Strick

I would certainly make for a great political memoir one day: the story of a Frenchwoman's climb from cocktail-bar waitress to the steps of No 10.

Sure, the chances of Nigel Farage's girlfriend Laure Ferrari, 44, making it to Downing Street might be unlikely for now, but insiders say the former Ukip leader's latest partner - a petite French national and former player in the populist European political scene who has hobnobbed with Donald Trump dreams of a life with him in Westminster. And she may even be his secret weapon in next month's general election following his late entry to the race as leader of Reform UK.

Ferrari, who is 15 years Farage's junior and to whom he gave her first job in politics when she was just 28, has certainly not shied away from speaking publicly about her partner's political aims. "Why would you do that if you didn't have an ulterior motive in mind?" she told GB News of Farage's decision to star on I'm a Celebrity back in December, hinting that her boyfriend "might be considering going back to politics".

She flew out to Australia to greet him as he exited the jungle and has been described by friends as a "razor-sharp" sounding board for the Brexiteer-in-chief, who celebrated his 60th birthday in April with a bash featuring everything from Liz Truss doing the conga to a virtual appearance from Trump himself. Politicos are already suggesting Ferrari could be a useful tool for Farage as he works to construct an image of a family man with a stable home life to woo Tory voters. Will we be seeing more of Ferrari on the campaign trail in the coming weeks?