EXCLUSIVE: ‘Hand on heart I can just say nothing inappropriate happened’: Pop star, 28, filmed enjoying intimate dance with Finland’s married ‘party Prime Minister’ Sanna Marin, 36, DENIES they’re having an affair
- EXCLUSIVE: Pop star Olavi Uusivirta said he and Finnish PM are just friends amid reports he ‘kissed’ her
- The PM’s nights out and parties are proving controversial with critics saying it is unsuitable for a world leader
- But others such as the Polish leader argue she has a right to have fun and blow off steam like everybody else
The rock star who was secretly videoed dancing intimately with Finland’s party-loving prime minister has insisted that they are not having an affair.
Olavi Uusivirta, 28, claimed that he and prime minister Sanna Marin, 36, were simply ‘friends’ and ‘nothing inappropriate’ had happened between them.
The footage which emerged on Friday showed the pair dancing hip-to-hip at 4am in a Helsinki nightclub just a stone’s throw away from the country’s Parliament building.
The grainy mobile phone video featured Ms Marin, who is married with a four-year-old daughter, draping her arms around the singer.
He was seen pressing his face against her neck at one point in the clip in a gesture that some elements of the Finnish media have claimed was a kiss.
The grainy mobile phone video featured Ms Marin, who is married with a four-year-old daughter, draping her arms around the singer.
Ms Marin (left) and Mr Uusivirta (second-from left) also posed with other friends during one night out
Sanna Marin has defended her right to party, saying everyone is entitled to a fun night out while denying that she did anything inappropriate or illegal
The prime minister was seen in a video dancing intimately with Finnish pop star Olavi Uusivirta (pictured)
Polish leader supports Finnish counterpart
The Polish leader today defended Finland’s party-loving Prime Minister, saying he was ‘very happy’ to see her enjoying a night out.
Mateusz Morawiecki said: ‘The prime minister has a reason to be happy because Finland joined NATO,’ Mateusz Morawiecki told a news conference when asked about the videos.
‘So if on this occasion the prime minister of Finland drank a little more Finlandia (vodka) and because of this danced, there is nothing terrible in that.’
NATO’s 30 allies signed the accession protocol for Sweden and Finland last month, allowing them to join the nuclear-armed alliance once all member states ratify the decision.
Witnesses told Finnish media that she danced with another two men in similar fashion and sat on the laps of another two during the high-spirited night out.
But Finnish singer-songwriter Uusivirta who got divorced from his wife last year, dismissed any suggestion that he was in a relationship with his country’s leader.
In a post on his social media accounts, he said: ‘There has been speculation in the public about the quality of the relationship between me and prime minister Sanna Marin.
‘Hand on heart I can just say it like it is: we are friends and nothing inappropriate has happened. I won’t comment on the matter anymore publicly. Have a great weekend!’
Uusirvirta and Ms Marin were filmed on the dancefloor at Klubi nightclub which is part of the Ravintola Teatteri restaurant and bar complex in central Helsinki.
The nightspot is known as one of the trendiest in Finland’s capital and attracts a well-heeled crowd of party lovers of all ages.
MailOnline can reveal that a lounge area where revellers can relax with drinks features a collection of erotic portraits of naked women on the walls.
The four full frontal paintings all feature natural-looking women, rather than skinny catwalk models, reflecting Finland’s relaxed attitude to nudity.
Staff at the Teatteri today refused to comment about their prime minister’s visit to the complex which was filmed in the early hours on August 7.
One waitress told a MailOnline reporter: ‘Of course we are not saying anything. There is nobody here who will talk to you.
‘We cannot confirm whether our prime minister was here. Anyway, how is your prime minister Boris Johnson?’
The new video is believed to have been filmed on the same night as earlier footage showing Ms Marin partying with celebrity friends in two apartments.
One of the videos raised eyebrows in Finland as it featured someone in the background shouting ‘Flour Gang’.
The word ‘flour’s is often used as slang for cocaine in Finland. But Ms Marin has strongly denied ever taking drugs and said she saw no drugs on the night in question.
Fun-loving Ms Marin’s appearance in the videos has sparked a debate in Finland about whether she should be out drinking and socialising with friends
Some commentators have accused her of behaviour which is unbecoming of a world leader, while others have pointed out that she might not have been capable of making proper decisions if an emergency had arisen during her party weekend.
But many are more relaxed and say that she deserves to let her hair down, like anyone else.
MailOnline can reveal that Uusirvirta and Ms Marin posed with three other women for a group picture at Helsinki’s Flow music festival earlier this month.
The singer posted the picture on his Instagram account on August 12 with a message saying, ‘Happy Flow’ accompanied by three emojis of cherries.
His followers were quick to comment on the presence of the prime minister in a sparkly top standing alongside him in the image.
One said: ‘A person has the right to go and spend time with their friends on the weekend, even if they are in high office.’
Ms Marin defended her actions, saying she drank alcohol with friends but did not do any drugs amid the allegations
Pictures from inside the Klubi nightclub, where Ms Marin was pictured with her pop-star friend
The Finnish PM is used to being on front pages, and this debate over her personal life is no different
Another added: ‘Sanna, you are a young woman… do what you will… you do a good job, then you can also have a lot of fun.’
But a third responded saying: ‘I don’t want to see the prime minister on Vogue’s cover – on vacation – on festivals – party – in a glitter dress. I want to see the prime minister taking care of the affairs of the citizens of Finland.’
Ms Marin answered her critics by holding a press conference on Friday when she admitted that she had taken a drugs test to prove to her critics that she had not taken anything.
She insisted that ‘everyone needs a fun and relaxed evening out’ and that she should be allowed to enjoy herself after spending most of her time juggling the responsibilities of governing her country and being a mother.
Ms Marin also claimed that ‘nothing inappropriate’ had happened in the videos, and her only regret was that ‘private’ footage had made it into the public domain.
When it was put to her that she might have been required to respond to an emergency while out partying, she replied that her entire time in office has been spent in ‘crisis’ and she had never been called for a meeting in the middle of a Saturday night.
Questioned specifically about Finland’s growing military threat from Russia, she said that her security services would have detected a troop build-up on the border ahead of time and informed her.
She insisted that she would have left the nightclub and gone to her desk, had it been required.
Ms Marin has consistently made a virtue of her ‘normal person’ image and claims to have received supportive messages from the public since the videos of her night out leaked.
Giving more details of her night out, she said that the evening had been spent in two separate flats with about twenty people, before they headed out into town and went to two bars.
The first videos to leak were from the houses of friends, including Finnish pop star Alma and her sister Anna, TikTok influencer Sabin Särkkä, rapper Petri Nygard, TV host Tinni Wikstrom, photographer and influencer Janita Autio, radio host Karoliina Tuominen, as well as MPs from Ms Marin’s own Social Democratic party.
They show the group dancing to music, signing and posing provocatively. At one point, a voice can then be heard making a reference to ‘flour gang’.
She is said to have arrived the Klubi nightlclub at around 2.30am and stayed in until 4.30am.
Ms Marin wed long-term partner Markus Raikkonen – a former footballer – in 2020. The couple’s daughter was born two years earlier in 2018.
She was dubbed ‘the coolest politician in the world’ by German tabloid Bild just this week for her relaxed and down-to-earth style of leadership which some critics have slammed as ‘careless’.
The paper described her as ‘relaxed, modern and self-confident’ but it added that she ‘can also party’.
Ms Marin belongs to the ‘cool generation’ which Putin really doesn’t like, Bild wrote.
Despite the incoming flak for the young prime minister, there are also those who see the videos as giving her a potential popularity boost for behaving the way many young people do.
Ms Marin was forced to apologise last December for going out clubbing with her husband until 4am after coming into contact with a Covid-19 case.
She came under criticism for missing a text telling her she needed to isolate because she did not have her work phone with her.
In a statement on Facebook, she said: ‘I am very sorry for not understanding that I needed to do that.’
Ms Marin’s Instagram lifestyle and celebrity friendships attracted the criticism of Sweden’s largest morning newspaper Dagens Nyheter after the nightclub incident.
Columnist Saga Cavalli wrote that she ‘seems to love surrounding herself with celebrities and likes to pose on social media,’ and described it as ‘celebrity ass licking’.
Ms Marin became one of the youngest world leaders and Finland’s youngest ever when she assumed the role of prime minister at the age of 34 in 2019.
Not your average stuffy politician! Finnish PM Sanna Marin, 36, seen dancing wildly in leaked video leads Pride events after being raised by two mothers, posed ‘topless’ on fashion magazine cover and still goes clubbing
By Jessica Taylor for MailOnline
Sanna Marin has broken down several barriers since she became Finland’s prime minister in 2019 when she was just 34 years old.
At the time, the daughter of a female same-sex couple became the youngest world leader and the Scandinavian country’s third female prime minister.
But while Finnish opinion polls for Marin’s coalition government remain steadily positive, some people have raised questions about the mother-of-one’s ‘partying’ lifestyle.
Sanna Marin, 36, became the prime minister of Finland in 2019 when she was just 34 – and while her approval ratings are strong, people have questioned her ‘partying’ lifestyle
Marin pictured ready to party at the Flow festival in Helsinki with photographer and influencer Janita Autio – who was featured in the party video – on the latter’s Instagram account
Marin is often spotted out and about with her husband Markus Räikkönen
Marin has come under fire after a video of herself partying with around 20 other revellers surfaced, with some MPs even urging her to take a drugs test
After a video surfaced of Marin, who shares a daughter Emma Amalia Marin with her husband Markus Räikkönen, dancing with some celebrity friends while music blared in the background, the PM received criticism for her antics.
Included in the group of revellers was Finnish singer Alma and her sister Anna, rapper Petri Nygard, TV host Tinni Wikstrom, photographer and influencer Janita Autio, radio host Karoliina Tuominen, as well as MPs from her own Social Democratic party.
The video comes just eight months after Marin was forced to apologise for going out clubbing after coming into contact with a Covid-19 case.
Pictured out in Helsinki with her friends last December, she did not have her official phone on her, which was where she received the notification she needed to isolate.
Premier Sanna Marin, 36, was seen enjoying a night out at the Butchers nightclub with friends on Saturday – so much so that she did not leave until 4am
In 2020, she became the subject of controversy and was accused off posing ‘topless’ by her critics after appearing on the cover of Finnish fashion magazine Trendi wearing a black blazer without a top underneath.
The the politician’s outfit choice was branded ‘inappropriate’ by some social media users after a snap of her wearing the jacket with a deep neckline, and without a blouse underneath, was shared on the magazine’s Instagram account.
One suggested the outfit ‘eroded’ her credibility, while another commented: ‘Yeah a real role model. It would have been better in the darkest of clouds. Ridiculous that the breasts of a woman appear in two without a blouse. Someone with taste and sense of style.’
But Marin’s outraged fans were quick to show their support and rally behind her, launching the hashtag #imwithsanna and sharing photographs of themselves posed in similar ensembles to the prime minister’s.
Bild described her as ‘relaxed, modern and self-confident’ but it added that she ‘can also party’.
In 2015 Ms Marin told the Menaiset website that as a child she felt ‘invisible’ because she was unable to talk openly about her unconventional family.
Marin got married to Markus in August 2020 and posted a photo on Instagram of the pair on their wedding day
Ms Marin appears to have a sweet tooth, having shared fun photos of her tucking into ice cream and candy floss
Former transport minister and MP Sanna Marin is the country’s third female government leader
‘The silence was the hardest,’ she said. ‘Invisibility caused a feeling of incompetence. We were not recognised as a true family or equal with others. But I wasn’t much bullied. Even when I was little, I was very candid and stubborn. I wouldn’t have taken anything easy.’
She also admitted that she never expected to get into politics, telling the publication: ‘When I was in high school, I felt that the people who make politics are quite different and come from different backgrounds than I am. At that time, I didn’t think it was possible to get involved myself.’
Ms Marin, who spent her teenage years working in a bakery, added that her mother has always been very supportive and made her believe she could do anything she wanted.
While Marin has criticised the person who leaked the video, she is known for sharing some snippets of her personal life with the public on her Instagram account – including trips with Markus and lavish events where she shows off her glamorous side.
Earlier this summer Marin donned a sequinned dress and teamed up with photographer and influencer Janita Autio to let down their hair at the Flow Festival in Helsinki, where it’s thought she took to the stage.
She also knows how to rock a ballgown and is often pictured on the red carpet at events with Markus.
Just two months ago Marin headed up the Pride parade in Helsinki – a cause important to her after being raised by two mothers.
The mother-of-one wore a white dress with pink embroidery in an Aztec-style as she waved rainbow flags and walked through the streets of Helsinki.
However, while she certainly knows how to party, Marin used her Instagram account to set a good example during the Covid pandemic, posting photos of herself meeting friends outside while socially distanced.
She also posts about honest aspects of motherhood, sharing a photo of herself breastfeeding Emma when she was a baby.
When she is not working or out with friends, Marin has motherly duties to attend to with her daughter Emma
The mother-of-one uses her Instagram account to post photos which show an honest account of motherhood, including feeding time
Ms Marin was born in Helsinki and lived in Espoo and Pirkkala, before moving to Tampere, where she became the first person in her family to go to university. Pictured on a holiday to Italy in July 2017
In May this year, Marin visited Kyiv where she met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy while Ukraine was under attack from Russia.
She posted a photo of herself alongside the Ukrainian President on Instagram and wrote: ‘Finland and the wide international community condemn Russia’s offensive war against Ukraine, which blatantly violates the UN Constitution, international law and the jointly agreed basic principles of European security.
‘We must extend support for Ukraine, while we continue to extend sanctions against Russia.’
Marin rose to the top job after she was elected as the new leader of Finland’s centre-left Social Democratic party.
Previously assuming the role of the transport minister Helsinki-born Marin narrowly beat rival Antti Lindtman to take over the role from incumbent Antti Rinne.
The mother-of-one was first elected to the City Council of Tampere in 2012 and became its chairperson in 2013 – a role she held until 2017, when she was re-elected.
In 2014 she was elected second deputy chairperson of the Social Democratic Party and in 2015 she was voted into the Parliament of Finland from the electoral district of Pirkanmaa.
During her rise to success in the political field she charted her pregnancy journey on her Instagram page, sharing selfies of her baby bump and even a candid breastfeeding shot.
She’s also shared poolside shots from a romantic holiday to Italy in July 2017, during which she and Markus travelled to Portofino, Rome, Sardinia and Veneto, and snaps from Pride events, where she showed her support for same-sex unions.
And Marin appears to have a sweet tooth, having shared fun photos of her tucking into ice cream and candy floss.
After the video of Marin’s latest party antics surfaced, an MP from the Centre Party, Marin’s coalition partner, took to Twitter urging the mother-of-one to take a drugs test.
Marin, 36, responded to the request in a press conference on Thursday morning and explained her night out had taken place at two bars before the group of around 20 friends headed to someone’s apartment.
She also agreed to take a test because she had ‘nothing to hide’.
She told reporters: ‘I haven’t used any drugs, so it’s not a problem to take a drug test, but I also think it’s quite special that something like this is required.’
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