Mo Mowlem Biography

- Sometimes credited as Dr. Mo Mowlam or Mo Mowlam MP.

- Referred to herself as a devout atheist.

- Her American boyfriend, with whom she had spent much time in Florida, drowned whilst swimming in a lake in 1979.

- Was known to chew gum and remove her shoes during Labour meetings.

- Whilst charismatic and outspoken in the political arena, she was actually very secretive and fiercely protective of her personal privacy.

- Following radiotherapy for a brain tumour and losing her hair, she was forced to wear a wig which she found enormously uncomfortable and would remove during meetings, dropping it onto the table exclaiming, ”It’s such a bother!”.

- She was the first and is currently still the only woman to hold the position of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

- Was successful in helping to restore an IRA ceasefire and including the Sinn Féin in the multiparty talks. This led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and the establishment of the power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly.

- She once received a standing ovation, in acknowledgement of her charisma and courage, in the middle of the Prime Minister’s speech at Labour’s 1998 party conference.