'HE'S ELECTRIFYING'
Jennifer Arcuri refuses to answer six times whether she had affair with Boris Johnson and calls claims PM helped her business ‘fake news’ in GMB interview with Piers Morgan
JENNIFER Arcuri today refused six times to answer whether she had an affair with Boris Johnson and rubbished claims that the Prime Minister helped her business as being "fake news".
Speaking exclusively to Good Morning Britain, the 34-year-old ex-model finally broke her silence over their alleged sexual relationship while he was married.
7
7
7
Jennifer Arcuri says she 'cared about him deeply' as Susanna Reid asks her if she loved Boris Johnson
The US businesswoman has been at the centre of a storm over her alleged affair with the Prime Minister and is accused of receiving thousands of pounds of public money while he was London Mayor.
But Jennifer Arcuri repeatedly refused to answer Piers Morgan's questions on whether the pair had an intimate relationship after meeting in October 2011.
Instead, she said the pair bonded over their "mutual love of classic literature" and admitted she was blown away when she first met him - describing him as "electrifying".
WHAT WE NOW KNOW
- Jennifer Arcuri refuses SIX times to answer whether they had an affair
- Boris Johnson visited her East London flat at least five times
- She asked if he wanted her to "show him a few things" on her pole
- They bonded over a love of classic literature and William Shakespeare
- She described him as being "electrifying" when she first saw him in 2011
- Ms Arcuri saved his name as "Alex the Great" on her phone
- She denies ever loving him but cares about him "deeply"
Ms Arcuri, who saved Boris' number on her phone under the name "Alex the Great", said: "Would you like me to ask about your sex life?
"I thought about this a lot. The first reaction is to come out denying everything. But then when I saw the way I am objectified, dragged through the press - I'm not going to answer that."
REFUSES TO ANSWER AFFAIR QUESTIONS
She added: "You’re forgetting that Boris is extremely personable. It’s not like he singled me out.
"He's there to talk to anybody. He was always a really good friend.
"It's categorically no one's business what private life we had or didn't have. Boris never ever gave me favouritism.
"Because the Press have made me this ex-model pole dancer, I am not going to answer that question. I'm not going to put myself in that position to weaponise that. To use me as a pawn.
"Categorically Boris has nothing to do with all of my other achievements. It’s absolute crap. I’m not going to answer this question. I’m not answering, that’s my record."
His hair is all dishevelled and his shirt is untucked. He has papers that looked like I had pulled them out of my preschooler's backpack.
When she first met Boris
She did, however, admit he visited her Shoreditch flat - which had a pole-dancing pole in - "a handful of times".
Ms Arcuri asked the PM if he wanted her to "show him a few things" on her pole and did not deny he ever used it.
She said: "A handful of times. Five times? Ten times? I haven't sat here and counted.
When asked whether the then-London Mayor used the pole, she said: "I’m never, never going to tell you that.
"I’m just having a little fun. The pole was just a simple fun thing. The pole sat in the living room, he saw the pole.
"I made a joke once, if he wanted I could show him a few things, but that was about it. I asked him to have a go."
Asked again if Boris had a go on it she said: “No, he sat down with his tea and started muttering, I don’t know.”
ALEX THE GREAT
After they met in October 2011, they exchanged numbers and she said he later texted her "Boris calling Jennifer" and she used the codename "Alex the Great" on her phone to guard his privacy.
Describing the first time she saw him at the British Venture Capital summit in October 2011, she said: "I turn around and this guy walks in the room.
"His hair is all dishevelled and his shirt is untucked. He has papers that look like I'd pulled them out of my preschooler's backpack.
"But he turned the room of grovelling, curmudgeonly, angry men into howling schoolgirls. It was electrifying - to see that kind of personality to change the complete energy of the room.
"I was like 'who is this guy, I need to say hi'."
She was invited onto his Back Boris bus and later persuaded him to speak at one of her business events, adding: "On the bus, he had a book of short stories. I think it was Voltaire, I remember striking up a conversation about classic literature and Shakespeare.
I said I could show him a few things. I asked him to have a go. He sat down with his tea and started muttering.
Jennifer Arcuri on her pole-dancing pole
"We immediately bonded over this kind of mutual love of classic literature, and particularly Shakespeare.
"I almost feel like that kind of mutual interest almost endeared him to me from the get go. We found something we both liked."
Ms Arcuri also denied asking him for a letter of recommendation and said any suggestion was simply "fake news".
She added: "Never once did I ask him for a favour. I never asked him for a letter of recommendation. That doesn’t exist. Just like my missing laptop. Fake news."
Ms Arcuri also denied ever loving him and wants him to be happy with his new girlfriend Carrie.
She added: "I’ve been asked many times (whether I loved him). I care about him deeply, as a friend.
"We do share a very close bond. I wish him well, I want him to be happy, I wish Carrie well. Like I said, I really do want him to focus on making Britain great again.";
Hours after the interview was aired, Boris swerved questions about his relationship with Ms Arcuri.
He told reporters outside Watford General Hospital: "I've really said all I want to say about that."
Ms Arcuri was speaking after claims suggested the PM was offering her favours while allegedly being in a relationship with her.
Mr Johnson has faced claims that when he was London Mayor he recommended Ms Arcuri for a job leading a powerful tech quango.
EMAIL LEAK
Leaked emails seen by The Sunday Times showed Mr Johnson was listed as a reference in her application for the role at Tech City.
Ms Arcuri was said to have been a 27-year-old student at the time of applying for the £100,000-a-year job.
In an email leaked to the paper, she allegedly later wrote: “I still have the letter of rec from Boris. hahaha.”
She also reportedly received £10,000 in business cash from an organisation Mr Johnson was responsible for as London Mayor in 2013.
Last month, the PM was referred to the police complaints body to assess whether he should face a criminal probe over his association with Ms Arcuri.
MOST READ IN NEWS
It followed reports by the same paper that she was given £126,000 in public money and privileged access to three foreign trade missions led by Mr Johnson while he was mayor.
Four of her pals also claimed she had told them she had a sexual relationship with Mr Johnson, 55, while he was married to Marina Wheeler.
In the time the pair were said to be close, she was reportedly given privileged access to three foreign trips in one year - despite her tech firm not meeting the eligibility criteria.
Jennifer Arcuri tells Piers and Susanna about the first time she met Boris Johnson while he was mayor of London
7
7
Boris Johnson avoids the question about whether he had an affair with US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri
7
7
Boris Johnson’s friend Jennifer Arcuri slams ‘false’ claims he helped her business… but doesn't answer questions over ‘affair’
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
Topics