Boris Johnson defends his dad Stanley as 'heroic' despite breaking wife's nose
Boris Johnson has hit out at a new Channel 4 documentary insisting his father Stanley is "heroic" - despite once breaking his wife's nose.
New series The Rise And Fall Of Boris Johnson starts tonight and within it the childhood of the former Prime Minister is discussed. Boris' father, Stanley Johnson, has confirmed for the first time he broke the nose of Boris' mother Charlotte, in a statement via his lawyers to the programme.
On screen at the end of episode one, it says: "Although Stanley Johnson admits he once struck his wife and broke her nose during an altercation, he says this was accidental and a one-off incident. He categorically denies any suggestions of domestic violence.
"In this context his four children have issued a joint statement: 'For the record, we as the four children don’t in any way recognise this characterisation of our parents’ marriage. He was a heroic father (still is) and what we did see first-hand was a huge and unwavering amount of affection between them'."
The Rise and Fall of Boris Johnson is on Channel 4 tonightIn the documentary, friends of the Johnsons, John and Sally Weston talk about being close to the family when they lived in Brussels, with Boris a small boy being brought up by his parents; Stanley and first wife Charlotte Johnson Wahl. Sally says Charlotte was "worn out" and looked "exhausted" by the kids - Boris, Rachel, Jo and Leo - as Stanley pressed on with his dream of being an MEP.
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Asked how Stanley coped, John replies: "I mean, Stanley was Stanley. I mean, he was rushing from A to B to C to D, all in one gulp. Over revving a lot of the time. And nothing was enough. He had to go somewhere else and then somewhere else. "Fatal to anybody else who is close to him. And I think Charlotte, you know, she took it on the chin all the time. What else was she expected to do?"
The pair then speak about the situation becoming too much for Charlotte and her spending time in the Maudsley Psychiatric Hospital in South London in 1974 where they visited her. Sally added: "Well, obviously I felt really deeply sorry for her. It was quite obvious her life was a huge strain. I said to her, anybody who's married to Stanley is bound to be ill." John said: "I mean, was he, am I right in remembering that in on at least one occasion he actually struck her." And Sally said: "Well, that's what she told me, love. But, um, I, I can't say any more about that."
Journalist Andrew Gimson in The Rise and Fall of Boris JohnsonAuthor and journalist Andrew Gimson tells the documentary: "Charlotte had a profound influence on Boris. She went into the Maudsley hospital, which occurred when he was only about 10 years old. And that was the separation from his beloved mother. And her suffering was really agony I think, and he was the oldest of the four children. And then his parents got divorced. His childhood was in many ways, extremely painful."
After his mother's time in hospital, Boris was sent to boarding school and Stanley and Charlotte split up.
The documentary is the first time Stanley Johnson has commented on breaking the nose of his first wife Charlotte. The comment came via his lawyers. The allegation was first printed in the Boris Johnson 2020 biography The Gambler by Tom Bower, but Stanley declined to comment when approached at the time by reporters.
Charlotte, who died in 2021 told the author: "He broke my nose. He made me feel like I deserved it. I want the truth to be told."
When this allegation was put to him in 2020 outside his home in North London about the contents of Tom Bower’s book, Stanley said: "I haven’t read it. I don’t want to comment."
- Four part series The Rise And Fall Of Boris Johnson airs on Channel 4 and is available on demand.
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