Evening Standard from London, Greater London, England • 91

Evening Standard Thursday 30 May 2002 3 Kate Allen: split with Ken Livingstone last November Continued from Page 1 his election victory two years ago Before that she had frequent contact with the Mayor in her role as office manager at the Evening Standard's ES Magazine for whom he was the restaurant critic Friends say that prior to the relationship and the election he made his intentions clear One said: told her soon after they met am going to have an affair with you and if I become Mayor I am going to give you a The two have been desperate to keep the relationship private Friends of Ms Beal initially denied the relationship existed and the Mayor insisted that his private life should remain so Ms Beal was one of the aides he took to New York during his first official mayoral visit abroad The couple were also together in public during the St Day celebrations in March Mr Livingstone then took Ms Beal with him on a three-week holiday across Australia which he bought at a charity auction staged by the Lady Taverners They were seen together in Australia by Tory Assembly member Angie Bray seem an exceptional couple but they looked very comfortable together" she said discussed how wonderful Sydney The friendship started when the couple first met at the Kensington Place restaurant in 1996 Mr Livingstone was to be offered the job of restaurant with him and his column and they would talk a lot on the phone They used to go out for drinks and there were always rumours of a fling resigned as restaurant critic after the election and two weeks later she got the job in his Mr Edwards said she was a brilliant personal assistant was always very efficient and very smart She also wrote the odd piece to make some extra money But she had no interest in politics at The baby is thought to be due around December The Mayor who will be 57 in two weeks has been an enthusiastic uncle During mayoral selection process he was called to Chequers to meet Mr Blair and insisted on taking his young relatives because they had missed out on a visit to the zoo Jack O'Sullivan of the information service Fathers Direct said: "Research has shown that older dads bond differently with their children they are more likely to show affection and emotions to their children but are also less likely to go in for physical play Older fathers tend to try to stimulate their babies more in fact they tend to behave more like mothers" Middle-aged fathers also tend to find the transition from bachelorhood easier he said men are more likely to have made a positive choice to have a child while a surprising number of younger men feel they have been forced into fatherhood" critic on ES Magazine and journalist Adam Edwards planned to take him to lunch but could not make the appointment Ms Beal his personal assistant went instead Simon Fletcher now the Mayor's chief of staff was also there Mr Edwards said: had been writing a column for a magazine but when he stopped doing that we offered him the job of restaurant critic Emma wanted to meet him and she went instead of me all accounts he was hugely charming and witty It was a very long lunch They both drank quite a bit and he was joking and flirting with He added: came back to the office afterwards and was joking with the sub-editors and generally messing around After that Emma would deal in the old father club them to go back from whence they he said John Ilumphrys presenter of Today became a father at 56 to a son Owen He said: U1 want to watch him all the Tony Blair was 47 when his son Leo was born two years ago Hollywood actor Michael Douglas had a son Dylan with Catherine Zcta-Joncs at 54 THE Mayor is joining a growing club of men who discover the joys of parenthood later in life writes Maxine Frith Actor David Jason became a father last year at 61 He has embraced fatherhood with enthusiasm despite complaining of the sleepless nights wakes up in the middle of the night and you want to ask Dave be nett Michael Douglas fathered a son at 54 David Jason: an enthusiastic father at 61 Daddy of them all: Ken Livingstone last night wearing an Ozwald Boateng suit at a fashion party.