Boris Johnson: Yes, I have six children – and I change a lot of nappies

Boris Johnson has said for the first time that he has six children, joking during an interview with a US broadcaster that he changes "a lot of nappies".

Mr Johnson has faced years of speculation about the number of children he has and tends not to discuss it. But during his interview with NBC it was put to the Prime Minister that he has six children and he replied: "Yes."

He has a one-year-old son, Wilfred, with his third wife Carrie Johnson. Mrs Johnson is pregnant with the couple's second child.

Mr Johnson has four children from his marriage to Marina Wheeler, his second wife. The pair announced their divorce in 2018 after 25 years of marriage. He did not have any children with his first wife, Allegra Mostyn-Owen.

He also has a daughter from his extramarital relationship with the journalist and art critic Helen Macintyre. Legal documents at one point hinted that he could have had a second child with Ms Macintyre, but they were not conclusive.

Discussing fatherhood, Mr Johnson told NBC: "It's fantastic. It's fantastic. It's a lot of work, I'll tell you that much. But I love it. I absolutely love it. I change a lot of nappies, in case anybody was wondering."

Mr and Mrs Johnson's second child is due to be born around Christmas. Both their children will have been born during his time in Downing Street – a rarity in prime ministerial history.

In a post on Instagram announcing the news in July, Mrs Johnson revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage before becoming pregnant for a second time.

She wrote: "At the beginning of the year, I had a miscarriage which left me heartbroken. I feel incredibly blessed to be pregnant again, but I've also felt like a bag of nerves.

"Fertility issues can be really hard for many people, particularly when on platforms like Instagram it can look like everything is only ever going well. I found it a real comfort to hear from people who had also experienced loss so I hope that in some very small way sharing this might help others too."

It means that their second child will be what is known as a "rainbow" baby.

Mrs Johnson was praised for talking so openly, with Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, praising her courage in speaking out.