Jake Paul cheers from the second row as his fiancée, Jutta Leerdam, wins Olympic speedskating gold

MILAN (AP) — Jutta Leerdam was in the middle of an interview after winning a speedskating gold medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Monday when she looked up to see her fiancé, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, walking over.

She interrupted an answer to say, “Hi, babe!” and leaned in for a kiss as Paul put his hands on her shoulders.

A moment later, Paul headed for an arena exit with multiple bodyguards and someone filming his every move for a documentary. Paul wore a scarf with the orange color of the Dutch team as he watched from a second-row seat while Leerdam finished first in the women’s 1,000 meters for her first Olympic gold.

“Man, words can’t even describe it. It’s the greatest feeling (of) anything I’ve ever witnessed, to be honest,” Paul told The Associated Press. “Just the amount of hard work that goes into it. Like 99.9% of people will never understand. And she pulled it off, under the most amount of pressure ever.”

During the race, Paul was the very picture of focus, alternating clapping or wringing his hands while standing to watch Leerdam compete.

“He knows the pressure I felt, and the buildup and everything. He’s just felt everything with me,” Leerdam said. “He is definitely emotionally involved.”

When she was done, and had won, she went over to the sideboards in front of where Paul was and paused, crying. She blew a kiss and made a heart shape with her hands while looking up toward Paul.

Leerdam collected a silver in the 1,000 four years ago at the Beijing Games and owns a pair of world titles at that distance. She also won three of the four World Cup 1,000-meter races she entered this season. She raced in the last of 15 heats Monday.

Separately, Leerdam and Paul draw big crowds to their social media sites — her Instagram page has about 5 million followers; his has more than 28 million. Together, they draw a lot of eyeballs and interest.

Leerdam and Paul posted news about their engagement on Instagram in March.

Paul is not shy about offering his opinions on all manner of matters, and he has been critical on social media in recent days about American Olympians expressing their opinions about what is going on back in their country at the moment. He also sent a series of posts to X about Puerto Rico music star Bad Bunny's appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show, including: “Turn off this halftime. A fake American performing who publicly hates America. I cannot support that.”

That drew a rebuke on social media from his brother, Logan, who wrote: “I love my brother but I don't agree with this. Puerto Ricans are Americans & I'm happy they were given the opportunity to showcase the talent that comes from the island.”

Later, Jake Paul posted again to say that he lives in Puerto Rico and he agreed with Bad Bunny's sentiment that “love is more powerful than hate.” But he added that he thinks voicing criticism of the U.S. is “being a fake citizen.”

His bodyguards ended the interview with the AP before Paul could be asked about those topics Monday.

Earlier at these Olympics, Paul sat with U.S. Vice President JD Vance at a women's hockey game that the United States won 5-0 against Finland.

Leerdam is a 27-year-old Dutch athlete who also is scheduled to participate in the 500 meters next Sunday.

Her trophy collection includes 12 world championship medals, with six golds. Two of those titles arrived in the 1,000 — in 2020 and 2023.

Now she has an Olympic gold, too.

Paul is a 29-year-old American influencer who first gained fame for his YouTube videos and then made his way into the world of boxing about five years ago.

He most recently had his jaw broken during sixth-round knockout loss to former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua at Miami in December.

Paul has also gone up against a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November 2024, plus Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., retired UFC fighters Anderson Silva and Nate Díaz, and former NBA player Nate Robinson.

As he left Monday's venue, he pointed out that it was harder “to sit there, for sure,” watching Leerdam than to enter the ring himself.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Jake Paul of the U.S. cries after his finale Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands won the gold medal in the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands, center and gold medal, Femke Kok of the Netherlands, left and silver medal, and Japan's Miho Takagi, right and bronze medal, pose on the podium of the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Jake Paul of the U.S., center, cries after his fiancé Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands won the gold medal in the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands concentrates prior to the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Jake Paul of the U.S. flashes a V-sign as he arrives to support his fiancé Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands competing in the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands cries after winning the gold medal in the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Jake Paul of the U.S., gestures as he waits to watch his fiancé Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands compete in the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed Monday to fight for his job as revelations about the relationship between the former U.K. ambassador to Washington and Jeffrey Epstein spiraled into a full-blown crisis for his 19-month-old government.

The prime minister's authority with his own Labour Party has been battered by fallout from the publication of files related to Epstein — a man he never met and whose sexual misconduct has not implicated Starmer.

Some lawmakers in Starmer's center-left Labour Party have called on him to resign for his judgment in appointing Peter Mandelson to the high-profile diplomatic post in 2024 despite his ties to the convicted sex offender. The leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, joined those calls Monday, saying “there have been too many mistakes" and "the leadership in Downing Street has to change.”

Starmer’s chief of staff and his communications director have also quit in quick succession. But Starmer insisted he will not step down.

"Every fight I have ever been in, I've won," he told Labour lawmakers at a meeting in Parliament.

“I'm not prepared to walk away from my mandate and my responsibility to my country,” he added.

After Sarwar spoke, senior colleagues — including those tipped as potential challengers — rallied to support Starmer. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy wrote on X: "We should let nothing distract us from our mission to change Britain and we support the Prime Minister in doing that."

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper posted: "At this crucial time for the world, we need his leadership not just at home but on the global stage." Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, a potential successor, said Starmer “has my full support.”

Supportive lawmakers said Starmer won over a restive crowd when he addressed scores of Labour members of Parliament Monday evening behind closed doors.

“Of course, there were tough moments,” legislator Chris Curtis said. “But he really brought the room round.”

Starmer fired Mandelson last September after emails were published showing that he maintained a friendship with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor. Critics say Starmer should have known better than to appoint Mandelson in the first place. The 72-year-old Labour politician is a contentious figure whose career has been tarnished with scandals over money or ethics.

A new trove of Epstein files released by authorities in the United States last week revealed more details about the relationship and put new pressure on Starmer.

Starmer apologized last week to Epstein's victims and said he was sorry for “having believed Mandelson’s lies.”

He promised to release documentation related to Mandelson’s appointment, which the government says will show that Mandelson misled officials about his ties to Epstein. But publication of the documents could be weeks away. They must be vetted on national security grounds and for potential conflicts with a police investigation.

Police are investigating Mandelson for potential misconduct in public office over documents suggesting he passed sensitive government information to Epstein a decade and a half ago. The offense carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Mandelson has not been arrested or charged, and he does not face any allegations of sexual misconduct.

Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, took the fall for the decision to give Mandelson the job by quitting on Sunday. He said he “advised the prime minister to make that appointment, and I take full responsibility for that advice.”

McSweeney has been Starmer’s most important aide since he became Labour leader in 2020 and is considered a key architect of Labour’s landslide July 2024 election victory. But some in the party blame him for a series of missteps since then.

Some Labour officials hope that his departure will buy the prime minister time to rebuild trust with the party and the country.

Senior lawmaker Emily Thornberry said McSweeney had become a “divisive figure” and his departure brought the opportunity for a reset.

She said Starmer is “a good leader in that he is strong and clear. I think that he needs to step up a bit more than he has.”

Others say McSweeney's departure leaves Starmer weak and isolated.

Opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said Starmer “has made bad decision after bad decision” and "his position now is untenable.”

Since winning office, Starmer has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living. He pledged a return to honest government after 14 years of scandal-tarred Conservative rule, but has been beset by missteps and U-turns over welfare cuts and other unpopular policies.

Labour consistently lags behind the hard-right Reform UK party in opinion polls, and its failure to improve had sparked talk of a leadership challenge, even before the Mandelson revelations.

Under Britain’s parliamentary system, prime ministers can change without the need for a national election. If Starmer is challenged or resigns, it will trigger an election for the Labour leadership. The winner would become prime minister.

The Conservatives went through three prime ministers between national elections in 2019 and 2024, including Liz Truss, who lasted just 49 days in office.

Starmer was elected on a promise to end the political chaos that roiled the Conservatives’ final years in power.

Labour lawmaker Clive Efford said Starmer’s critics should “be careful what you wish for.”

“I don’t think people took to the changes in prime minister when the Tories were in power," he told the BBC. “It didn't do them any good.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar speaks to the media during a press conference in Glasgow, Scotland, where he is calling on Keir Starmer to resign as Prime Minister, Monday Feb. 9, 2026. (Robert Perry/PA via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer gets in his car to leave 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

The front door of 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

FILE - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, talks with Britain's ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador's residence on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 in Washington. (Carl Court/Pool Photo via AP, file)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer talks with members of the audience after delivering a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, England, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (Peter Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP)