Editing Diane Abbott (section)

==Personal life==
Abbott had a brief relationship with [[Jeremy Corbyn]], who later became the Labour leader, when he was a councillor in north London in the late 1970s.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Brown |first1=David |last2=Dominic Kennedy |date=17 September 2015 |title=Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott were lovers |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/jeremy-corbyn-and-diane-abbott-were-lovers-70p983f0d5n |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225220120/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/politics/article4559169.ece |archive-date=25 December 2015 |access-date=30 January 2016 |work=[[The Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Badshah, Nadeem |date=30 January 2016 |title=How Corbyn revealed Abbott was his lover |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/how-corbyn-revealed-abbott-was-his-lover-xbfrk8jcmh3 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131015254/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/politics/article4678585.ece |archive-date=31 January 2016 |access-date=30 January 2016 |work=[[The Times]]}}</ref> She credits him with sparking her interest in party politics and joining the Labour Party.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Abbott |first=Diane |date=2024-09-07 |title='Parliament was the most overpoweringly male place I had ever worked': Diane Abbott on becoming an MP, dating Jeremy Corbyn and media intrusion – exclusive extract |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/sep/07/diane-abbott-becoming-an-mp-dating-jeremy-corbyn-media-intrusion |access-date=2024-09-07 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In 1991, she married David P. Ayensu-Thompson,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Diane-Abbott-goes-to-Ghana-8237 |title=Diane Abbott goes to Ghana |website=[[GhanaWeb]] |date=2 August 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051615/https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Diane-Abbott-goes-to-Ghana-8237 |archive-date=22 December 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> a Ghanaian architect. They had one son, James,<ref name=":2" /><ref name="Bush" /><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Beckett |first1=Francis |date=25 November 2021 |title=In praise of Diane Abbott |url=https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/in-praise-of-diane-abbott/ |access-date=11 May 2023 |website=[[The New European]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> before divorcing in 1993.<ref name="nytimes1" /><ref name="Bush" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Diane Abbott: The First Black Woman in British Parliament |url=http://www.black-history-month.co.uk/sitea/people/women/Diane_Abbot/diane_abbott.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904083445/http://www.black-history-month.co.uk/sitea/people/women/Diane_Abbot/diane_abbott.html |archive-date=4 September 2015 |access-date=2 October 2012 |website=www.black-history-month.co.uk}}</ref> Abbott chose her Conservative MP [[Pair (parliamentary convention)|voting pair]], [[Jonathan Aitken]], as her son's godfather.<ref name="Riddell"/>

In 2007, Abbott began learning the piano under the tutelage of Paul Roberts, Professor of Piano at the [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama]], for the BBC documentary television programme ''[[Play It Again (TV series)|Play It Again]]''.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web |date=22 April 2007 |title=Play It Again: Diane Abbott takes up the piano |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/playitagain/programmes/series1/dianneabbott/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629141410/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/playitagain/programmes/series1/dianneabbott/ |archive-date=29 June 2011 |access-date=5 January 2012 |publisher=BBC One}}</ref> She performed [[Frédéric Chopin]]'s [[Prelude, Op. 28, No. 4 (Chopin)|Prelude No. 4 in E minor]] before an audience.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

In 2015, Abbott was diagnosed with [[type 2 diabetes]].<ref name="Asthana" /><ref name="BBC News" />

In July 2019, Abbott called 999 after being "chased around her home" by her son, James Abbott-Thompson. In relation to this incident, as well as subsequent incidents away from Abbott's home, Abbott-Thompson later pleaded guilty to 12 assaults and racially aggravated criminal damage and exposing himself and was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order.<ref>{{cite news |last=Davies |first=Gareth |date=23 March 2020 |title=Diane Abbott's son admits spitting at police officer and biting his colleague outside Foreign Office |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/23/diane-abbotts-son-admits-spitting-police-officer-biting-colleague/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=30 July 2021 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/23/diane-abbotts-son-admits-spitting-police-officer-biting-colleague/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ford |first=Richard |date=2 January 2020 |title=Diane Abbott's son James is charged over hospital assaults |work=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/diane-abbotts-son-james-is-charged-over-hospital-assaults-jcqvvqmb0 |access-date=30 July 2021 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref>

In September 2020, an authorised biography of Diane Abbott was released, ''Diane Abbott: The Authorised Biography'', by Robin Bunce and Samara Linton, published by [[Biteback Publishing|Biteback]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Diane Abbott: The Authorised Biography - Robin Bunce; {{!}} Foyles Bookstore |url=https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/biography/diane-abbott-the-authorised-biography,robin-bunce-9781785906039 |access-date=25 September 2020 |website=Foyles |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Hussein-Ece |first=Baroness |date=17 October 2020 |title=Diane Abbott, The Authorised Biography: the journey of a Black woman who defied the odds and made history |url=https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/diane-abbott-theauthorisedbiography-the-journey-of-a-black-woman-who-defied-the-odds-and-made-history |access-date=10 February 2021 |website=The House}}</ref> In 2020, Abbott was invited to participate in the television dance contest show ''[[Strictly Come Dancing]]''. Speaking on [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[Today (BBC Radio 4)|Today]]'' programme, she said that she refused the invitation, pausing only "for about sixty seconds".<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Today - 25/09/2020 - BBC Sounds |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000mrzf |access-date=25 September 2020 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref> She said that, instead, she will continue to do what she has done all of her life, speaking up on human rights, civil liberties, women's rights, and representing the people of Hackney.<ref name=":1" />

On 12 March 2024, after allegations that she had been targeted by racist remarks from a Conservative Party donor, Abbott issued a statement saying that "as a single woman" she felt "vulnerable" in her constituency.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 March 2024 |title=Frank Hester: Tory donor accused of racist Diane Abbott remarks |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-68539981|first=Paul|last=Seddon|access-date=31 May 2024 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=12 March 2024 |title=Diane Abbott calls Tory donor's comments frightening|first=Sam|last=Francis |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68542624 |access-date=14 March 2024 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Extracts from Abbott's memoir ''A Woman Like Me'' were published in September 2024 in ''The Guardian'', where she "opens up about three pivotal moments in her life in politics".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/sep/07/diane-abbott-becoming-an-mp-dating-jeremy-corbyn-media-intrusion|title='Parliament was the most overpoweringly male place I had ever worked': Diane Abbott on becoming an MP, dating Jeremy Corbyn and media intrusion – exclusive extract|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Diane|last=Abbott|date=7 September 2024}}</ref>