Conservative MP Michael Gove left a pre-Christmas drinks party with BBC producer Sam McAlister, it has been revealed. The Levelling Up Secretary, who divorced journalist Sarah Vine a little over a year ago, has reportedly grown closer to the award-winning TV producer in recent months. Their fondness has sparked speculation of a love affair from onlookers who witnessed the scene.
An unnamed source close to the father-of-two told The Sun: “His ex-wife will be furious he’s here with her.”
An onlooker at the West London venue added: “They were very close all evening and left together – but looked a bit sheepish when they realized they were being photographed and took a few steps apart quickly to try to play things down.
“Michael’s daughter was at the party too and seemed less than impressed.”
Speculation is swirling around a little over a year after Mr Gove announced his separation from journalist Ms Vine after 20 years of marriage.
In a joint statement, Mr Gove and Ms Vine said they remained “close friends” and would continue supporting their two children, but wanted privacy and would not be commenting further.
Ms McAlister is an award-winning journalist, best known for securing the exclusive interview between Prince Andrew and Emily Matilis for BBC Newsnight in 2019.
The interview, branded a “trainwreck”, sent shockwaves around the world, as the Duke of York came under pressure to comment on his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
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The former BBC Newsnight producer and “booker extraordinaire” also convinced Elon Musk, Sheryl Sandberg and Stormy Daniels to sit in the hot seat.
Friends close to the TV producer and Mr Gove insist they are just close friends and not in a relationship. They added the two of them later went separate ways, dismissing speculation of a blossoming romance.
At the time of her divorce, Mr Gove’s ex-wife, Ms Vine, shut down allegations of an affair and claimed Mr Gove only had one mistress – politics.
No specific reason for Mr Gove and Ms Vine’s separation has been made public. The couple, who married within two years of meeting each other in 1999, had “drifted apart over the past couple of years”, an unnamed friend of the high-profile couple told PA media.
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