Jacinda Ardern’s upcoming wedding may almost never have happened after her partner was involved in a serious relationship with an actress before the pair met.
The ex-New Zealand prime minister will marry ‘first bloke’ Clarke Gayford, 47, at a winery in Hawke’s Bay, on the east coast of New Zealand’s north island, this weekend.
Ms Ardern and Mr Gayford are madly in love and have a five-year-old daughter named Neve – but the picture perfect family may never have happened.
Mr Gayford met his future wife after ending a three-year-long relationship with the glamorous Maori actress and TV presenter Shavaughn Ruakere, 45, in 2013.
The pair were living together and even shared a dog with Ruakere revealing the topic of children had also come up in their conversations with each other.
Shavaughn Ruakere (right) and Clarke Gayford (left) dated for two years before splitting up in 2013
Ruakere (above), a Māori actress, had previously shared her thoughts on marriage and kids with Clarke
The couple are understood to have split in 2013 due to their work demands – Mr Clarke was a TV and radio presenter while Ruakere was a soap opera actress.
Both have found love again with Ruakere dating her partner of ‘several years’ Trevor Rooderkerk.
She shared photos of a trip to Beresford Heights on Wednesday – just three days out from Mr Clarke and Ms Ardern’s wedding.
Ruakere, best known for her role as Roimata Ngatai on TV show Shortland Street, was smitten with Mr Clarke and in March 2013 shared her thoughts on marriage with Now to Love.
‘I’m really happy in my life. I’ve got this great fella, we’ve got a dog and are living in a wonderful home and we’re very happy together,’ she said.
On the topic of future kids with Mr Clarke, Ruakere said: ‘He wants kids because he can’t wait to embarrass them. He just wants to tease them and do things like drop them off at school all dressed up in silly stuff.’
However, later that year Clarke began dating Ms Ardern after the pair split.
The couple previously revealed they’d met over coffee after Mr Clarke expressed concern about a potential erosion of privacy posed by a new government bill.
Sparks flew at the meeting and eventually their friendship turned into something more with the couple having their daughter in 2018.
Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern (right) began dating Clarke (left) in 2013 after he complained about a new government bill
Ardern and Clarke welcomed their daughter, Neve (pictured with her parents), in June 2018
Ruakere has stayed on the move since her split from Mr Clarke.
In 2016, she briefly moved to Los Angeles with her then-boyfriend Toby Burrows, a co-founder of music festival Rhythm and Vines, in pursuit of acting opportunities.
She’s now settled in Auckland with her partner Mr Rooderkerk.
The actress revealed her relationship with the father-of-three in an emotional post for Father’s Day in 2021.
‘My Dad never got to meet my new family, but I know he’d have been very happy for me and he’d know he didn’t have to worry about his youngest anymore,’ she wrote.
In a 2022 interview with Now to Love, Ruakere said Mr Rooderkerk’s children have become her ‘instant whānau [family]’.
‘We’ve been together a few years now and he’s definitely a keeper, I’m pretty happy,’ she said.
‘I’ve always felt a strong affinity for kids, maybe because I’m still kind of a big one at heart. I’m the youngest in my family.
‘It’s probably taken me quite a long time to understand that I’m part of my own family now, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I feel very blessed.’
Ruakere (pictured with Clarke) has recently appeared on What Now, Dancing with the Stars and hosted FBoy Island NZ
Ruakere (pictured with her partner of ‘several years’, Trevor Rooderkerk) revealed her new relationship in 2021
Ruakere has recently appeared on What Now, Dancing with the Stars and made a short return to Shortland Street.
She also hosted FBoy Island NZ in 2022, saying of the gig: ‘It’s a light-hearted take on dating shows that often leans on comedy – something I was drawn to.’
Meanwhile, Mr Clarke and Ms Ardern will finally get married on Saturday.
The couple were engaged in 2019 and had planned to marry in the summer of 2022 but were forced to abandon their plans due to Covid restrictions.
Now the pair are set to hold their ceremony at a vineyard 200km from the original location on January 13.