Jacinda Ardern opens up on self-care, motherhood in new magazine interview

Jacinda Ardern during the 2020 election campaign.
Jacinda Ardern during the 2020 election campaign. Photo credit: Getty

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has revealed how she takes care of herself while dealing with a stressful career, a global pandemic and a two-year-old daughter. 

In an interview published in March's edition of Thrive, Ardern revealed any time she has to relax, she spends with her toddler Neve.

Her daughter's favourite thing is meeting new people, Ardern told editor Wendyl Nissen.

"Sometimes we'll be at the airport or waiting to go somewhere and she'll say: 'I'm just going to go and talk to that lady'. I'll try to explain that the lady might be just enjoying some time to herself but she can't understand that."

Ardern also opened up on how stress can affect her appetite, saying her team often leaves food on her desk to make sure she's eating enough.

"When you're going to give a speech to a few hundred people there is a bit of stress and I just don't want to eat. But I do a lot of speeches all the time, so I really have to push myself to make sure I eat throughout the course of the day," she told Thrive. 

She credited her fiance Clarke Gayford with helping keep her life running, looking after her and their daughter.

"He has consistently been the night and morning person for our daughter because sometimes I'll be working long hours or I'll be gone in the morning or he just wants me to get one more hour's sleep."

There might not be much time off during the sitting days in Parliament, but Ardern says she always looks forward to her summer break which she often spends in the Coromandel.