Serena Cowdy

Serena Cowdy was born in Peterborough in 1980.[1] Her father was an actor and civil servant. Her parents divorced when she was seven and Cowdy was subsequently raised solely by her father in London after her mother remarried. Her grandfather on her mother's side, Andrew King, was an actor. Cowdy is of English and Irish ancestry.[2] She obtained a degree in modern history from St Hilda's College, Oxford University.

Cowdy had an early career acting in short films and television adverts before turning to journalism.[3][4] She worked as a consumer rights and personal finance journalist for various publications, and also covered political issues for The House, the in-house magazine of the houses of Parliament, The Huffington Post, and PoliticsHome.[5] She has a particular interest in nationalism in politics, having studied Irish nationalism at university.

In May 2016, questions were raised about the expenses claims of two Scottish National Party members of the House of Commons, Stewart Hosie and Angus MacNeil, who were reported to have had a relationship with Cowdy.[6][7][8][9] Both MPs were reported to the Parliamentary expenses watchdog by a Conservative Party MP over their expenses claims,[10] however, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Hudson, ruled that there was no basis to launch an inquiry into the matter.[11]

The SNP's deputy leader, Stewart Hosie MP, subsequently resigned from his position due to the "intense scrutiny" of his private life by the media.[12][13]

In August 2018, Cowdy and Hosie married in Scotland.