Quick question: what does the new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, have in common with Mark Darcy, the love interest of iconic singleton, Bridget Jones? Well, according to some, quite a lot actually!
Yep, for years rumours have swirled that Starmer is reportedly the inspiration behind Mark Darcy, the straight-laced, sensible but still quite hot human rights lawyer, who was immortalised on screen by Colin Firth.
So, let let's get serious and discuss the evidence in question! Both Starmer and Darcy are human rights lawyers, with one of Starmer's most notable cases (in which he defended an environmentalist couple against McDonald's, in a case related to the fast food chain's practices) making headlines around the time Helen Fielding wrote her newspaper column in the mid-90s, where the character of Mark first appeared. These columns then went on to form the basis of her four Bridget Jones' Diary novels, which in turn spawned the movie franchise.
P.S. Bridget Jones 4 is on the way!
In terms of any visual similarities, for comparison, here is a photo of Keir Starmer, the Labour party leader, alongside Colin Firth (AKA Mark Darcy).
Both Starmer and Fielding attended Oxford University and have lived in Leeds, too.
Back in 2020, when pressed on whether or not the rumours are true by ITV, Starmer laughed and said, "Everybody asks me this question when they should be asking her [Helen Fielding] because she knows the answer and I don't. It's a rumour that's been doing the rounds for years, but I honestly don't know", whilst a woman in the background can be heard saying, "It's true!".
Shortly after this clip circulated, Cosmopolitan UK reached out to Helen Fielding's agent for confirmation or denial of this rumour and were told "Helen has no comment". Which, y'know, didn't really do much to stop the rumour mill.
However, later on in the year, in December, 2020, Fielding decided to give a more detailed answer to the question about Darcy's origins, and told the Radio Times that she thinks Starmer is 'fantastic' but confirmed the pair had never met.
"Well, I think he's fantastic. But no, I've never met him. They [Starmer and Darcy] are very similar, though. He's so good and decent and intelligent, but so buttoned up," Fielding said. "I always want to say: 'Come on, Keir, loosen your tie, ruffle up your hair.' He doesn't think of himself as sexy, but he's really sexy. And when he and Boris spar, it does remind me of Mark and Daniel."
While many have taken this to be the author 'shutting down' the story, although Fielding confirmed she and Starmer have never actually met, technically he still could've served as some kind of inspo given Fielding wrote her loosely based on real life columns in the guise of a character? Maybe?
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
