The Bridget Jones books and films are some of the most popular to have been created, thanks to their relatability and humour. Author Helen Fielding penned the first novel in the series in 1996, after creating the character for a newspaper column.
The character of Mark, also referred to as Mr Darcy, caught the attention of many people at the time, who wondered if he was inspired by a real-life man. It has long been rumoured that Helen used Keir Starmer as her inspiration for the character. Comparisons between Mark and Keir have long been made, but author Helen had always remained tight-lipped about the people she used as inspiration for her characters. Keir, who is now the leader of the Labour Party, laughed off the rumours during an interview on Piers Morgan's Life Stories.
He added: "There's a great quote here from a site called 'My Barrister Boyfriend', they featured you on their list of hotties. On their write-up, they said, 'We suspect Keir is brimming with manly passion.' Are you brimming with manly passion?"The politician has said he has no idea if he was used as inspiration for Mr Darcy, previously telling ITV: “Everybody asks me this question when they should be asking her because she knows the answer and I don’t.