‘I said ‘absolutely not’': Delia and Borg's partners speak to Times Talk

When Adrian Delia told his partner, lawyer Cynthia Galea, that he was considering running for PN leader again, she did not mince her words. Her unequivocal answer was ‘no’. 

“Caps lock on: Absolutely not!” she told Times Talk when she and Alex Borg’s partner, Sarah Bajada, were asked how they reacted when their partner told them they were considering a run. 

“I was already in a relationship with Adrian when he was leader before, and I’ve been through all the dynamics of when he was ousted. It’s not easy to adjust to that kind of life, and you rarely see your partner. And this time round it’s harder because we have a very young son.” 

She said she eventually backed down after he convinced her he wanted and needed to do it, and she could not stand in his way. 

“So, I said yes. Not in caps lock, but I’m supporting him all the way,” she said, smiling. 

“Adrian has been through a lot. In 2020, I was so mad at what was happening, I would ask him why he kept doing it. He would say it’s not for him, but for the party and the country. It was still early in the relationship back then, and I wasn’t sure if he was genuinely like that. Today I know he is. And he is loyal till the end.” 

Bajada said unlike herself, her partner Alex Borg was born into politics and there was nothing she would do to stop him from running. 

“It’s ingrained in his DNA, so I couldn’t say no. I thought about what would happen to our family if he ran, but I supported him, and we try to meet between meetings or events. We find some time for each other like that,” the TV presenter and content creator said. 

The two sat down with Times Talk for a light-hearted episode that explored what it is like to run a family with a man who is campaigning to be opposition leader. 

It is the first time they have opened up in an interview about their personal and family life since the PN leadership campaign began this summer. 

A life of jigsaw puzzles 

Both women agreed that life right now is anything but easy.  

For Bajada, it is a constant “jigsaw puzzle” to fit their schedules together, especially with frequent travel between Malta and Gozo. Galea, having been with Delia for six years, has been through this before, and she knows the drill.  

Delia leaves for work around 8.30am and does not get home until 11pm, long after their young son is asleep. Bajada shared a similar experience, saying Borg often returns after 11pm. 

But she said there is a silver lining for her son: he now gets to visit countless village feasts on the campaign trail, and he “loves it”. She also playfully recounted how her partner’s friendly nature can derail their plans.  

“If we’re at a wedding and we agree to leave in half an hour,” she said, “it sometimes becomes an hour, or even two hours, because he gets stuck talking to people.” 

Love over politics 

Both women shared the stories of how they met their partners.  

Galea met Adrian Delia when he was still the PN leader who had just asked her to run for the 2019 local council election. She had never met him before. After they started to get to know each other on a political level, she realised she would have to choose – either politics or love.  

“And I chose Adrian over any political prospect I might have had,” she said. 

For Bajada, it was a meeting at a Miss World Malta event two years ago. She was hosting the event and Borg, who had participated in the 2020 Mr World Malta, was there that night, as an MP. 

They first spoke at the after-party, and he added her on Instagram afterwards, but nothing came of it until months later, when she was in Gozo for her sister’s birthday. She wanted to go for a hike, and he messaged her on Instagram suggesting a good route. 

“The first time I met him I thought ‘oh, this guy is so nice’,” she recalled. “I realised we shared the same values.” 

Both women have found their own ways to navigate disagreements and keep their relationships strong with their partners.

When asked who backs down first in an argument, Galea, who is a lawyer like her partner, explained that she and Delia refuse to back down and jokingly said they often argue like lawyers do in court. Thankfully, she said with a laugh, their young son often steps in as the judge. 

Bajada said when she and Borg argue, she needs time to herself to calm down and avoid yelling. After some time, she said, “he’ll come to me and say, ‘are you still angry at me?’” It is at that point that she speaks her mind, and they find common ground. 

Bajada also recalled how Borg supported her career when she was busier than him. 

"Now it’s my turn to support him," she said.  

Both women’s dedication does not seem to have gone unnoticed by PN supporters.  

Both women said the one thing they are told most often is: "Take care of him for us!" 

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