Suella Braverman's real name after soap star, religion and upbringing

10 November 2023 , 11:01

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Suella Braverman's real name after soap star, religion and upbringing

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is facing a fight for her survival at 10 Downing Street after her latest diatribe, which saw her accuse police of "double standards" and claim forces "play favourites" with pro-Palestinian protests. In an article, she alleged that nationalists and football fans face tougher policing than "politically connected minority groups".

It's not the first time the senior minister has been accused of crossing the line, as it comes just days after she declared that being homeless was a lifestyle choice. Now, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under intense pressure to sack her. But just who is Ms Braverman and what do we know about her? Here is a look at the Home Secretary's life away from No10 including her real name and upbringing...

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is a practicing Buddhist and her parents emigrated to the UK (PA)

She was named after fictional character Sue Ellen Ewing from American TV series Dallas (Getty Images)

Ms Braverman is 43 years old and her full name is Sue-Ellen Cassiana Braverman. She was named after the fictional character Sue Ellen Ewing in the American soap opera Dallas. Talking about her name, she told The Sun: "So my name is actually Sue-Ellen, because my mum was a fan of Dallas and thought this would be a great name for her daughter. I've been plagued ever since. But my primary school teachers didn't like the hyphen. So they came up with Suella on my little tag for my coat and that stuck."

The politician was born in Harrow, London, to Indian immigrant parents. Her Hindu mum, Uma Fernandes, moved to Britain from Mauritius and her dad, Christie Fernandes, from Kenya. She went to a private secondary school that was partly funded by a scholarship. Ms Braverman then studied law at Cambridge before qualifying as a Barrister in 2005 and become MP for Fareham in 2015. She is a practicing Buddhist and a member of the Triratna Buddhist Community.

Her lust for politics comes from her mum, who was politically active from the moment she emigrated in the 1960s. Ms Fernandes studied social care at university to become a nurse, but she also served on Brent local council, worked as a councillor for 16 years and tried to stand as an MP twice in 2001 and 2003. She was so determined to stand that she persuaded her daughter not to put her name forward in the election, reportedly telling her, "Let mummy have a chance."

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Pictured with her husband Rael Braverman and her parents, Uma and Christie Fernandes

The family faced some disruption during Ms Braverman's childhood when Mr Fernandes lost his job as an insurance broker. She told The Times: "He was unemployed for several years and his sense of identity was shattered. It really broke him as a man. Mum became the backbone of the family, financially and emotionally, and that was a big epiphany for me." She added: "It struck me when I was 11 that she was killing herself to pay for my education and that felt a massive responsibility on my shoulders."

The Home Secretary is married to Rael Braverman, a manager at Mercedes, who has been described as a "very proud member of the Jewish community". The couple tied the knot in February 2018 at the House of Commons after being together for three years. Speaking about her husband at the time, Ms Braverman said: "Rael has just been so supportive of me in Fareham – I think the day I realised he was the one when he came out delivering leaflets for the election in the pouring rain." They have two children together, a son born in 2019 and a daughter in 2021.

Nia Dalton