An unexpected phone call after 30 years apart: How love repaid Sir Mervyn King's interest at last

Sir Mervyn, 65, fell for fellow Cambridge student Barbara Melander in 1970
But the couple lost touch until 2000 when she phoned him unexpectedly
Departing Bank of England governor reveals story to Desert Island Discs

PUBLISHED: 02:58 EST, 2 June 2013 | UPDATED: 04:50 EST, 2 June 2013

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Sir Mervyn King, the departing Governor of the Bank of England, has a reputation for guarding his privacy.

But today he reveals how he sacrificed marriage and the prospect of a family for his career, until an unexpected phone call reunited him with his first love.

In a candid interview on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Sir Mervyn admits that he fell for Barbara Melander when they were both students at Cambridge in 1970.

First love: Sir Mervyn King fell for Barbara Melander in 1970 while they were students at Cambridge University

Sir Mervyn, 65, said his personal life had suffered because of his career

Sir Mervyn gave the candid interview to Kirsty Young on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs

Sir Mervyn tells Desert Island Discs presenter Kirsty Young that his ambitions made his personal life suffer

However, after she returned to her home in Finland, they lost touch until 30 years later when she suddenly telephoned him.

Barbara, an interior designer with two daughters, had been married to a Finnish businessman but divorced in 1996.

Sir Mervyn says: ‘We met at Frankfurt airport and I felt exactly the same about her as I had in 1970. She moved to England and we married in 2007.’

The ceremony was in Helsinki, with just a handful of family members present, and he has maintained a veil of secrecy around the event ever since.

The son of a railwayman who later became a teacher, Sir Mervyn, 65, confesses that his personal life suffered because of his determination to succeed.

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‘I had relationships but never got married. I totally dedicated myself to my career. I travelled around the world for work and even in the summer I’d be off to the United States to teach. I never really had a domestic base.

‘The career always came first and that was probably a mistake. It was a sacrifice.’

He has been with the Bank of England for 22 years and tells presenter Kirsty Young: ‘Being Governor is actually one of the easiest jobs I have ever done. You are in charge but you have tremendous support.’

Critics claim that he rules with an iron fist, and he admits: ‘I demand a lot of others but no more than I demand of myself.’

Sir Mervyn says that despite the banking crisis, he never has sleepless nights but understands fully why people have lost faith in the banking industry.

Sir Mervyn tells the programme that his successor Mark Carney, pictured, is an 'outstanding person'

‘What has surprised me is that people haven’t got angry sooner. It is only now that you see it coming out as the impact on standards of living are being affected.’

Of the August 2007 crisis, Sir Mervyn says: ‘We had believed the financial system as a whole was more resilient, we thought the risk was in the hands of people who knew how to manage it, but that was not true. Banks were very fragile.’

As for his successor, Mark Carney, he says: ‘He is an outstanding person and he must do the job his own way.’

For himself, Sir Mervyn says that in retirement his wife’s wishes will come first. He adds ‘I’ve promised my wife that I will learn to dance.’

Desert Island Discs is on Radio 4 today at 11.15am.

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Very glad he didnt lose sleep over the crisis. I have done so.

- Katymay , London, United Kingdom, 03/6/2013 09:03

Click to rate Rating 4

Sir Mervyn preaches issues of credibility, commitment, openness and transparency to the financial sector but he sacrifices ALL of these when it comes to his personal life!

- Ammar , Saudia, 03/6/2013 04:52

Click to rate Rating 2

He sacrificed the UK's economy as well.

- Chris , York, United Kingdom, 03/6/2013 02:47

Click to rate Rating 15

So we all lost out then.

- Dave , Norwich, United Kingdom, 03/6/2013 00:16

Click to rate Rating 8

I STILL BET YOU WISH YOU HADN'T DONE ALL THAT QUANTITATIVE EASING, Don't YOU?

- KP , Guisborough, United Kingdom, 02/6/2013 22:24

Click to rate Rating 8

Romance can still flourish even in the strangest places! I'm glad they've re-found each other, because life in its later stages can be very lonely and tough even with money.

- SW66Bristol , Bristol, United Kingdom, 02/6/2013 21:25

Click to rate Rating 30

I always believe that there was a conflict of Interest between the banking in the UK and the UK government. The UK get up to 30% of its gdp from banks transactions. Were the government to police the banking industry like it should it would have meant a drop in gdp. The UK government did not behave. Duncan

- duncandunnit , tintintintin, 02/6/2013 20:59

Click to rate Rating 9

no wonder he found his job easy considering he did it so badly!

- whatever , bern, Switzerland, 02/6/2013 18:23

Click to rate Rating 12

King: the absolute worst Governor of the BoE in living memory. Sooner he's off the scene the better.

- Mark R , COVENTRY, United Kingdom, 02/6/2013 17:04

Click to rate Rating 15

She looks like she will give him his just deserts!

- Evel Lucion , Bracknell, 02/6/2013 16:39

Click to rate Rating 17

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