Iceland's Children Minister Resigns Over Past Relationship Controversy

Mon Oct 20 2025 12:34:09 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Icelandic minister Ásthildur Lóa Thórsdóttir steps down amid revelations of past relationship that resulted in a child with a teenager 30 years ago.

Ásthildur Lóa Thórsdóttir, Iceland's minister for children, has resigned following the disclosure of her long-ago relationship with a 15-year-old boy, resulting in a child when she was 23.

Ásthildur Lóa Thórsdóttir tendered her resignation on Thursday after a media interview brought to light her past relationship with a teenager that occurred over three decades ago. In an interview, she acknowledged starting the relationship when the boy, identified as Eirík Ásmundsson, was just 15 years old and she was 22, serving as a counselor at a religious organization he attended. The pair welcomed a child when Ásmundsson turned 16 and Thórsdóttir was 23.

Reflecting on the matter, the 58-year-old Thórsdóttir stated, "It's been 36 years, a lot of things change in that time and I would definitely have dealt with these issues differently today." Her resignation elicited a response from Iceland's prime minister, Kristrún Frostadóttir, who emphasized the issue's seriousness while maintaining the need for privacy regarding personal matters.

The news broke when Icelandic news agency RUV reported the story. Thórsdóttir recounted meeting Eirík while working at the religious group Trú og líf (Religion and Life). Though their relationship was initially secret, Eirík was present during the birth of their son, spending the initial year together, but this changed when Thórsdóttir met her current spouse.

Official documents obtained by RUV indicate that Ásmundsson sought access to his son but was denied by Thórsdóttir, who continued to receive child support payments from him for 18 years. As the news reached the prime minister through a relative of Ásmundsson's, she sought more information, leading to Thórsdóttir's resignation.

In her TV interview, Thórsdóttir expressed her distress over the situation, noting the challenges of accurately portraying such complex stories in the media. Notably, while the age of consent in Iceland stands at 15, legal restrictions apply when a person in a position of authority enters a sexual relationship with a minor under 18, potentially incurring a prison sentence of up to three years.

Despite her resignation from the ministerial position, Thórsdóttir plans to continue her role in parliament.