From a love of music to shared Labor values, Jodie Haydon and Anthony Albanese have lots in common. But their engagement will thrust the private Haydon firmly into the public spotlight.
Jodie Haydon has a special bond with her grandmother Claire, who juggled a teaching career with nine children and has always been a Labor voter to her bootstraps. She grew up near her grandparents in Avoca, on NSW’s Central Coast, and would drop in to see them between netball games, shifts at the local fish and chip shop and lessons at Kincumber High School.
Later, after she moved to Sydney for a career in the superannuation industry, Haydon wondered if Claire worried that her eldest granddaughter hadn’t partnered or had children. US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden with Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon in the White House in October.“Well, I made up for it all in one go by ending up with the leader of the Labor Party,” Haydon once joked in an interview. “I’m forgiven! I’ve probably gone to number one in the ranking now out of her near 30 grandchildren.”at The Lodge with a ring he designed himself. They announced the news in a post on Thursday on the platform formerly known as Twitter – also a sentimental decision, given it was the social media site that kick-started it all. Their meeting story is famous; then-opposition leader Albanese, who had separated from his wife, former NSW deputy premier Carmel Tebbutt, almost a year earlier, was speaking at a Melbourne union conference in late 2019 and asked South Sydney supporters to identify themselves. Haydon, who worked for a union super fund, shouted, “Up the Rabbitohs!” Albanese introduced himself, but it was Haydon who made the next move by sending him a direct message on Twitter. Albanese and Haydon with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte at the Élysée Palace in Paris in 2022.They met for a beer at Young Henry’s brewery in Newtown, and Albanese invited her to the Woodford folk festival soon after. They discovered they had much in common. He is passionate about music; she worked for years in the music section of Grace Bros. He was raised by a courageous single mother; her guiding light was her grandmother, who put herself through teachers college and raised nine children while juggling a career. Their values aligned, too. Haydon’s grandparents, both her parents, and eight of her maternal aunts and uncles were ABC-watching, Labor-voting public school teachers. As she told News Corp in 2022, her family taught her that, “If you care about education, if you care about where you get healthcare, if you care about public transport, if you care about the planet, fairness, equality, you have to take an interest in politics.”COVID-19 lockdowns gave the couple some seclusion during the early months of their relationship, when they cooked together, binged television shows and listened to music. But in mid-2020, they were caught kissing at Woolloomooloo Wharf. That’s when Haydon – who is described as warm, friendly, and down-to-earth by those who know her – found her low-key, private romance spinning into something highly unusual. Suddenly, her photo was in the papers and the prying eyes of the press gallery were on her relationship. Haydon had been single for a long time; now she was with one of the most recognised political figures in Australia. But when Albanese was in a serious car accident in early 2021, she realised “just how much you love this person”, she toldin March 2022. “As I jumped in the ambulance and saw Anthony, I knew then the depth of my feelings towards him.” Less than 18 months after they met, Albanese became prime minister. That’s when Haydon’s once-ordinary life became truly surreal. She was being served by Commonwealth staff at The Lodge. French President Emmanuel Macron kissed her hand. She walked down the aisle of Westminster Abbey at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, and was back again six months later for King Charles’ coronation. On a visit to the United States, first lady Jill Biden gave her a pair of sandshoes to make the walk back to the official guesthouse more comfortable. “Jodes got to keep them,” Albanese said afterwards. But the role has an unpleasant side too, as prime minister Julia Gillard’s former boyfriend, Tim Mathieson, one of just two de facto partners of prime ministers, could attest. They’re in the role due to their personal rather than professional decisions but their clothes, job and decisions are raked over publicly.During one particularly awkward radio interview, Albanese was asked by FM host Kyle Sandilands if he and Haydon had sexual relations in the White House. Albanese responded, “What goes on tour, stays on tour, Kyle. You surely know that.” Being a prime ministerial spouse can also make working difficult if there’s perceived conflicts of interest; Kevin Rudd’s wife Therese Rein sold her $175 million business to avoid embarrassing him. Haydon works as a women’s officer at the NSW Public Service Association but has recently accepted figurehead roles, such as the chief patron of the National Portrait Gallery and ambassador for children’s cancer charity Redkite. No wedding date has been set, but Albanese may become the first Australian prime minister to be married in office. As Albanese himself admitted after their visit to the White House, where Haydon wore a dress that took four months to embroider, he may have set himself a high bar. “I’m not sure how I top this for date night with Jodie at any time,” he said.
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