He asked the press not to go into his privacy

The new Prime Minister of New Zealand has separated from his wife for the sake of the family

• Hopkins wants to keep his private life out of the limelight.

  A.F.B

• Ardern also suffered the invasion of her family's privacy.

  From the source

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New Zealand's new prime minister, Chris Hepkins, told the media not to delve into his private life when a reporter asked him why his wife, the putative first lady, had not appeared next to him, revealing that he and his ex-wife, Jade, had been living apart for about a year.

Hepkins married Jade in 2020, and they have two children: a six-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter.

Hepkins says that his decision to divorce his wife and live separately was “in the interest of our family.” He adds, “As a member of Parliament and a public figure, I have worked hard to keep my family out of the public spotlight, and I want my children to grow up through an exemplary life.”

And he goes on, "I want them to be able to make mistakes, I want them to be able to learn and grow without five million people looking over their shoulders, so I intend to keep them out of the public spotlight."

He says that by embarking on the work as a minister, deputy, and then prime minister, he makes himself a public property, and he fully accepts that, but his family is not like that, and he asks people to respect this choice.

Hipkins acknowledged that the pressures of political life could be difficult for the family to bear.

"Being a political partner and partner to the minister, it's very difficult for you when you're in the public spotlight because families are under a huge amount of pressure," he added.

He says that a year ago, he and the mother of his children made the decision to live separately, but to do everything they could to raise their two children together.

"We are still incredibly close, she is still my best friend, but we made this decision for the sake of our family."

Speaking of respecting his family's privacy, Hepkins referred to the "tremendous scrutiny and pressure" that had been exerted on the family of former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, as during her surprise resignation speech last week, she specifically noted that her partner Clark Gifford and her daughter Dawther Nef, whom she gave birth to during her prime ministership, "They are the ones who have borne these pressures more than me."

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