Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock displayed visible frustration during a tense podcast interview when questioned about his affair with aide Gina Coladangelo, which breached his own government's Covid social distancing guidelines.
The explosive podcast confrontation
During an appearance on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast, the former MP grew increasingly defensive when the host directly addressed the hypocrisy between Hancock's public guidance and private actions. Bartlett referenced September 2020 guidance that advised against casual sex outside households and reminded the public about 'hands, face, space' protocols.
"Do you think you can ask the question in a little bit of a more respectful way?" Hancock interrupted, visibly uncomfortable with the line of questioning. When Bartlett continued, Hancock requested they "start the segment again" and insisted "I haven't had casual sex with anybody, I fell in love with somebody."
The affair that ended a political career
The relationship between Hancock and Coladangelo became public knowledge in 2021 when CCTV footage emerged showing them kissing in his ministerial office. Both were married at the time - Hancock to Martha Hoyer Millar for 15 years, and Coladangelo to Oliver Tress, founder of retail brand Oliver Bonas.
The images caused public outrage as they showed the Health Secretary breaking the very social distancing rules he had been promoting to the nation during the pandemic's peak. The scandal proved devastating to Hancock's political career, leading to his resignation from government.
Hancock admitted during the podcast: "I resigned because I broke the social distancing guidelines. By then, they weren't actually rules they weren't the law, but that's not the point. The point is, they were the guidelines that I'd been proposing."
Life after Westminster
Since leaving frontline politics, Hancock has attempted to rebuild his public image through reality television appearances, including I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here in 2022 and Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins the following year.
He has since returned to his family's marketing and data management firm, BBS, where he now serves as Managing Director. Despite the Covid inquiry's damning verdict on his pandemic management, which criticised his "untrustworthiness" and "overpromising and underdelivering," Hancock's net worth is now reported to be approximately £5 million.
Hancock and Coladangelo remain together, living in London and attending high-profile events, while the former Health Secretary continues working to "mend" relations with his ex-wife.
