EXPOSED
Matt Hancock told his wife he was leaving her on the night aide affair was revealed as he leaves her out of apology
MATT Hancock told his wife he was leaving her on the night his affair with an aide was revealed, it was reported.
The Health Secretary tonight fell on his sword - quitting as Health Secretary and apologising to his family after the scandal was revealed by The Sun.
🔵 Follow our Matt Hancock live blog for all the latest updates on his affair
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However, his apology pointedly did not mention his wife of 15 years Martha.
Caving to pressure to quit over the affair, Hancock wrote a resignation letter to the PM, saying: "I want to reiterate my apology for breaking the guidance, and apologise to my family and loved ones for putting them through this.
"I also need to be with my children at this time."
He admitted he had "let down" the millions who had made sacrifices during the pandemic after he was caught on film kissing aide Gina Coladangelo.
According to , Hancock's wife Martha had no idea her husband was having an affair until he broke the news and announced that their marriage was over.
Hancock reportedly raced home after being told about The Sun's revelations.
He then delivered the bombshell news to Martha, who believed that their marriage had until that moment been "happy and stable".
Hancock even woke up the couple's youngest child, aged eight, to break the news he was leaving.
It comes as:
- Matt Hancock announced he was resigning almost 48 hours after his affair with his aide was exposed
- The Health Secretary told his wife he was leaving her as the affair was revealed
- Gina Coladangelo has left her position on the Department of Health board after the affair with Hancock
- Read Matt Hancock's resignation letter in full
- Boris Johnson told Hancock 'you should be proud of what you've achieved' as he accepted his resignation
- Sajid Javid will be the new Health Secretary
Hancock's allies have said the politician and Coladangelo are “love match” and are planning to set up home together.
His local constituency party in Suffolk is said to be enraged by news of the affair and there is talk of him facing deselection at the next election.
Friends of the former Health Secretary say his relationship with Gina is "recent but serious", Sky News reports.
Martha Hancock seen out walking this morning after yesterday's explosive news and still had her wedding ring on.
Martha, mum-of-three, wore a floral dress and dark sunglasses as she gave a saddened half-smile to onlookers.
A bunch of pink peonies in a glass vase were placed on the front doorstep of her home by a florist delivery man - who arrived just after 10am.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was "sorry" to receive Hancock's resignation.
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He said Mr Hancock "should leave office very proud of what you have achieved - not just in tackling the pandemic, but even before Covid-19 struck us".
Mr Johnson added: "I am grateful for your support and believe that your contribution to public service is far from over."
A Downing Street source said: "Boris accepted the resignation reluctantly. This was very much Matt’s decision."
Tonight Labour leader Keir Starmer said: "Matt Hancock is right to resign. But Boris Johnson should have sacked him."
CCTV images showed Hancock passionately kissing his aide - with the dad-of-three shamelessly asking for "privacy on this personal matter" just hours later.
And he admitted he had "broken social distancing rules" after lecturing the country on coronavirus regulations throughout the pandemic.
He was recorded kissing her on May 6 - while hugging was still banned.
Just ten days later, the hypocritical politician warned the country we mustn't cuddle our loved ones.
Hancock's statement in full
I am writing to resign as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. We have worked so hard as a country to fight the pandemic. The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.
I want to reiterate my apology for breaking the guidance, and apologise to my family and loved ones for putting them through this. I also need to be with my children at this time.
We owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down as I have done by breaching the guidance.
The NHS is the best gift a nation has ever given itself, and the dedication and courage of the NHS staff and the ceaseless work of the officials in the Department is something we should all be proud of.
We didn't get every decision right but I know people understand how hard it is to deal with the unknown, making the difficult trade-offs between freedom, prosperity and health that we have faced.
I am so proud that Britain avoided the catastrophe of an overwhelmed NHS and that through foresight and brilliant science we have led the world in the vaccination effort, so we stand on the brink of a return to normality.
The reforms we have started in the health system will ensure it continues to provide even better care for people in years to come.
We are building a better NHS which makes smarter use of technology and data, forming a new UK Health Security Agency, delivering positive changes to mental health care and will fix the problems in social care once and for all.
Many times I stood at the podium in Downing Street and thanked the team - my own team, the NHS, the volunteers, the Armed Services, our pharmacists, GPs, the pharmaceutical industry and the whole British publish who have made such sacrifices to help others. Those thanks are heartfelt and sincere so I must resign.
It has been the honour of my life to serve in your Cabinet as Secretary of State and I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved.
I will of course continue to support you in whatever way I can from the back benches, and I would like to thank you for your unwavering support, your leadership and your optimism, particularly as we worked together to overcome this awful disease.
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Ms Coladangelo, who has been a close friend of the former cabinet minister since their time at university, was appointed as a non-executive director at the Department of Health and Social Care last year.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Ms Coladangelo, who is listed on the department's website as a non-executive director, is the marketing and communications director at British retailer Oliver Bonas, which was founded by her husband Oliver Tress.
Her LinkedIn profile says she has been working as a non-executive director at the Department of Health since September 2020 and was at Oxford University at the same time as the health secretary.
Matt Hancock caught on video kissing aide Gina Coladangelo at his Whitehall office
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