Oliver Haiste is sitting in a London pub talking about how fond he is of old flame Carrie Symonds when something extraordinary happens: news breaks of an explosive bust-up between Carrie and her new lover, Boris Johnson.
The accounts of the screaming match between Johnson and 31-year-old Ms Symonds are shocking – if meticulously well timed in the eyes of Johnson's political opponents. The police had been called. Yet, sitting in the dining room of a Central London watering hole, Haiste appears unruffled by the news.
In fact, he is not surprised at all, because his own three-year relationship with the young woman at the centre of Britain's latest political storm involved an electrifying dose of dramatic and often fiery conflict.
'We had quite a tumultuous relationship,' he admits today. 'I found when times were good with Carrie they were great – they were fantastic.
'When times were bad they were awful. It was a highly passionate relationship. And I don't mean that in a salacious, physical sense. I mean in terms of emotional context – very emotionally charged.'
Carrie Symonds' (pictured) ex-boyfriend Oliver Haiste said he wasn't surprised that about the police being called to the flat the PR guru shares with Boris Johnson. 'We had quite a tumultuous relationship. When times were bad they were awful. It was a highly passionate relationship' he said
'It's the most up and down relationship I have had,' Haiste continues, choosing his words carefully.
Today, describing their relationship for the first time, he paints an intriguing portrait of a 'high-octane' partnership with a woman as passionate as she is intelligent.
Indeed, already credited with helping mastermind her new boyfriend's rise to the brink of power, Ms Symonds could find herself at No 10 within a matter of weeks if, as still seems likely, Boris wins the race to become leader of the Conservative Party – and Prime Minister.
'Any relationship with Carrie or friendship with Carrie is very intense and can often burn brightly,' Haiste explains. 'It's never boring.
'She often brings a lot of intensity to relationships, be they romantic or friendships. That passion can work the other way when she is not happy with you.
'When times are good, she is very loyal. When times are bad, she can go in completely the opposite direction and possibly, in my view, to excess.'
Ms Symonds's rise to prominence has been meteoric, guiding Tory MP Zac Goldsmith's electoral campaign in 2010 just a year after graduating with a first-class degree from the University of Warwick, and then joining Boris Johnson's successful re-election campaign as London Mayor two years later.
Carrie, pictured with Oliver in 2007. 'Any relationship with Carrie or friendship with Carrie is very intense and can often burn brightly,' Haiste explains. 'It's never boring'
Stints as a special adviser followed, first to Culture Minister John Whittingdale and then to Sajid Javid when he was Communities Minister, before she was appointed as director of communications of the Conservative Party in June 2017.
Bright, engaging and dynamic, Ms Symonds is seen as a popular figure around Westminster. Many believe she is behind the dramatic improvement in Boris's political and personal self-discipline since the relationship began last year.
But as Boris draws ever closer to Downing Street, there are growing concerns that her own ambitions maybe complicating his campaign.
Back in 2007, when she met Haiste, that ambition was not yet fully formed – indeed, as he recalls today, she very nearly avoided politics altogether in order to become an actress.
The pair were introduced by a mutual friend while Carrie was studying drama and history of art at Warwick, and Oliver had graduated from University College London and was himself dabbling in Tory Party politics.
Bright, engaging and dynamic, Ms Symonds is seen as a popular figure around Westminster. Many believe she is behind the dramatic improvement in Boris's political and personal self-discipline since the relationship began last year
They enjoyed romantic holidays in Kenya and Rome and went to music festivals. For Haiste, she held an extraordinary magnetism, and was a thoughtful and caring partner who would hand-make birthday gifts, including a photo collage of the pair.
She acted in a series of amateur productions and had mastered the tricky skill of being able to burst into tears on demand.
Such was her talent that she was invited to attend the final casting sessions for a supporting role in the film adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel Atonement, the 2007 war tragedy starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.
However, it was a crushing disappointment to learn that she had not made the final cut. It was this, says Haiste, which helped convince her that she would have to find an alternative career.
'I think her first passion was always to have been an actress,' he says. 'That's what she said at the time. But obviously it's such a difficult career to get into.'
It was Haiste, now 36, who helped encourage her interest in politics. The pair had passionate discussions and attended events hosted by Zac Goldsmith well before his 2010
