What's it like to be married to Rishi Sunak? Five takeaways from the PM's Grazia interview
From his household irritations to watching Friends before bed - here are some details about the prime minister that you never expected to see.
Wednesday 6 March 2024 14:31, UK
Rishi Sunak's Grazia interview with his wife Akshata Murty delves into how the couple share the domestic load - from the PM's signature dish to the "disgusting" habit his wife had when they first met.
The pair, who have been married since 2009, shared some of the finer details about life at Number 10 with their two daughters, Krishna, 12, and Anoushka, 11, ahead of International Women's Day.
But not everyone has been impressed, with some online branding it "tone deaf" as the wealthiest-ever prime minister and the multi-millionaire businesswoman describe juggling the household chores.
Here are five key takeaways from the interview that came out yesterday.
Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs
Ms Murty quickly admitted her husband was the better cook of the two, though they both agreed he has very little time to actually put his talents to good use.
The PM said his only direct involvement in meal-making comes on Saturday mornings, when he makes "Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs".
So that's his signature dish, but believe it or not the PM needs a bit more than just eggs to give him the energy to run the country.
In fact, Mr Sunak is very particular about what the couple and their two daughters need, according to his wife.
"Rishi always lays out the structure," she says. "And I fill in the structure.
"So he's like: 'they need to have a protein, a carbohydrate, a veg.'"
Mr Sunak alleged that family meals never contain all of the above unless he is there to oversee it.
Ms Murty has her rationale ready to go: "Well, you know, suddenly the homework's not done and Anoushka's like, 'Oh I just need pasta,' so I have the pasta," she said.
Rishi has bed bugs when it comes to the chores
Not literal bed bugs, but rather things that "bug" Mr Sunak.
Ms Murty admits she is "not a morning person," to which Mr Sunak quickly adds: "But you also just don't like making the bed and it bugs me.
"I actually sometimes come up back into the flat from the office after we've all left to make the bed, because I'll be irritated if it's not been made," he adds.
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Still, Ms Murty seems to have made impressive strides when it comes to bed maintenance, as she admits she used to eat meals in bed when she first met her husband.
"He used to come back to where I lived and sometimes there would be plates in my bed."
"Disgusting," Mr Sunak mutters as he recalls the scenes. "Not anymore," the prime minister concludes.
He also claims to be the best at loading the dishwasher, admitting he rearranges it after his wife loads it.
He lists both chores as his favourite, saying: "both have a nice, satisfying end", before choosing making the bed.
No incentives for kids to do the chores
When it comes to his kids, Ms Murty takes the reins on the academic stuff.
Ms Murty says: "I'm stricter when it comes to things related to school, like getting their homework done, making sure they are reading, making sure that anything related to school is done well."
With everything else, she says, it's Mr Sunak who's the stricter parent.
"It would be nice if they walked the dog that they wanted to get a bit more often," Mr Sunak quips.
His daughters get their chores done, the couple add, without any real rewards.
"I don't believe in giving the children any incentives," Ms Murty says. "I believe we're a family, we all have to work together, we all help each other out. That's just the way life goes."
Mr Sunak, however, claims he does "give them snacks" for their troubles.
Running once a week is all he can manage
Running the country takes precedence over running on the streets for the prime minister, who says he only manages to go for a jog once a week now.
"We used to go a lot together," he says to his wife, in "the good old days".
Ms Murty, who says she exercises more than Mr Sunak, adds: "I have more flexibility and so I'm able to control my schedule a bit more, whereas you don't have flex or time."
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So what does Mr Sunak do in his spare time?
"I'm too exhausted when I get home so I watch an episode of Friends and go to bed," he says, adding the couple have watched the same episodes of the sitcom an endless amount of times because "it never gets old".