Husband of lockdown-breaking Professor Ferguson’s lover Antonia Staats ‘has his own mistress’
The husband of Professor Lockdown’s lover is at the centre of claims that he has also been seeing another woman in a new twist.
Professor Neil Ferguson - who advised Boris Johnson to shut down Britain to stop the spread of COVID-19 - quit over rule-breaking romps at his home with Antonia Staats, 38.
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But it is claimed mum-of-two Ms Staats’ husband Chris Lucas also has a lover with her consent - thanks to their open marriage.
It was not known whether 38-year-old Mr Lucas, an Arabic studies lecturer - who recently showed coronavirus symptoms - had left his home during lockdown to visit his mistress at another address.
But the liberal couple’s complex love life potentially increased the risk of transmission of the bug to the boffin - who was telling Brits to stay apart while breaking his own rules.
UNCONVENTIONAL MARRIAGE
A source told The Sun on Sunday yesterday: “Antonia and Chris do not have a conventional marriage and have both seen other people.
“She is her own woman and makes it very clear that she will never be any man’s ‘mistress’ - but she is also okay with Chris seeing other women.
“It cuts both ways and they’re both comfortable with that.”
The new twist emerged on the trendy dating site where his wife hooked up with the married father-of-one Professor Ferguson.
They met more than a year ago on dating site OkCupid - which has become popular with left-leaning couples who share liberal views.
The app is believed to have appealed to the Oxford-educated epidemiologist and his leftie activist lover because of its scientific approach to dating.
It has boomed since it was created in 2004 by four Harvard maths students who claim its focus on social justice helps “mathematical soulmates” find each other.
After uploading pictures and a brief description, the website asks 15 questions then uses “algorithm magic” to match clients.
Prof Ferguson, 51, would have been asked whether he reckoned Brexit was either “terrible for the UK” or “great for the UK”.
He would also have been quizzed on whether he considered his political beliefs to be either, “liberal/left, centrist, or conservative/right”.
The algorithm matched him with blonde Ms Staats, a south London-based left-wing campaigner with a masters in Asian politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies.
WEBSITE FOR LEFT-LEANING DATERS
Ms Staats - who lives in a £1.9million home in Clapham, South West London - is also a climate change activist who joined anti-press protests outside Parliament in 2017.
Other questions on the dating app include whether the monarchy should be abolished and whether clients care what their parents think of their partner.
The randy prof - who stepped down from his role on the government's SAGE pandemic advice group after his lover’s lockdown visits were exposed - was living apart from his wife Kim Polgreen, 54, and their 16-year-old son when Ms Staat stayed at his west London home.
The Sun on Sunday source added: “The fact that Professor Ferguson was matched with a left-wing activist makes his political leanings pretty clear.
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“But it’s been more than a year since they met on the site and there’s no sign of either of their profiles on there now.”
London’s Metropolitan Police said they were “disappointed” with the professor’s conduct but would take no further action.
He could have been prosecuted and faced a fine of up to £1,000 like 9,000 other rulebreakers caught across the UK since clamps began seven weeks ago.
Police declined to say yesterday whether he was spoken to by officers after admitting the lockdown breach.
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