Tom Bower - Boris Johnson: The Gambler

The troubled Johnson family in January 1973: Aged nine, Boris (above, left), was an eyewitness to his mothers unhappiness. Charlotte and Stanley finally divorced in 1978.Boris shone at Eton but he walked a tightrope. Fired with ambition to succeed, he threw himself into everything with gusto studies, sports, debating, journalism, acting. He was a Kings Scholar and became a member of Pop, the Colleges elite group of Prefects, but was criticised at the end for laziness.Controversial friends: At Eton and Oxford, Boriss friends included Darius Guppy (above, left) and Charles Spencer. Guppy went to prison while Spencer publicly denounced the Royal Family at the 1997 funeral of Princess Diana, his sister.Boriss defiant pose just before leading his team into Etons wall game.Launch pad: Oxford set up Boris for life. He dated and then wed Allegra Mostyn-Owen, acclaimed as the universitys most attractive undergraduate; and was elected President of the Oxford Union on his second attempt.Party: Boris, with Allegra and his sister Rachel (right) at Charles Spencers 21st birthday party in 1985.Boris and Allegra in 1986.The Spectator days: The magazines circulation soared under Boriss editorship, not least after the exposure of Boriss relationship with deputy editor, Petronella Wyatt, a trusted confidante and good friend.In trouble again: Boriss editorship and political career crashed after the Spectator published a scurrilous and untruthful attack on Liverpool. Boriss apology to the city was a PR masterstroke but left him in the wilderness.Success: Boriss election as Londons Mayor in 2008 resurrected his political career. Anchored to reality by Marina Wheeler, his wife, Boris posed as the family man, usually with Stanley eager to share the spotlight. At the end of a bitter personalised campaign, he had no affection for Ken Livingstone.Victory night: Boriss family, including his wife Marina Wheeler (in white top), sit in the front row at City Hall before the announcement of his victory in the 2012 London Mayoral election. His success owed much to Lynton Crosby (top row, fourth from right).Close friends: Boris finds life difficult without a secret soulmate. Despite the danger of inevitable exposure, he had a serious relationship with Helen Macintyre (left), with whom he had a daughter, then with Anna Fazackerley (below), a journalist, and an intense four year relationship with Jennifer Arcuri, an American entrepreneur.Boris with Jennifer Arcuri.Refuge: Exposure of his affairs was usually followed by expulsion from the family home. On the first occasion, he lived with Justin Rushbrooke, his close friend from Balliol.Heading for the top: The 2012 London Olympics sealed Boriss reputation. As David Cameron, prime minister at the time, said If any other politician in the world got stuck on a zip wire it would be a disaster. For Boris its a triumph. He defies all forms of gravity.Boriss rivalry with Cameron and George Osborne (pictured together on a fraught trip to China in 2013) was never concealed and became the foundation of Boriss bid for the party leadership.The three most important women in his life: Regardless of his infidelity, Marina was Boriss loyal wife and consigliere, the rock whom he nevertheless betrayed. His sister Rachel has always been a reliable confidante as well as a rival. His supreme love and care for his mother, Charlotte Johnson Wahl, has become even more important since his divorce from Marina.Book launch: Boris, Rachel and their mother, Charlotte, attend the launch of his book The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History at Dartmouth House on 22 October 2014.Action man: Aware of the value of a good photo, Boris always made himself available to prove his sporting prowess and popular credentials. Noticeably, that habit disappeared once he became prime minister.Next page