21 November 2023 , 08:00
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Liz Truss will forever be remembered as the UK prime minister who resigned after just 49 days in office. But while many may remember her for her short-lived - but nonetheless dramatic stint - not many may know about her equally eventful personal life.
Truss's home life previously hit the headlines when she was involved in an affair with her political mentor, Mr Field, which almost ruined her career.
Truss has been with her husband, Hugh O’Leary, for over two decades and married just three years after meeting each other in 2000. O'Leary, who grew up in Allerton, Liverpool, before his family moved to Heswall, is described as a quiet and serious maths whizz.
Truss and O'leary married just three years after meeting each other in 2000.Currently believed to work from home and labelled a ‘house husband’, it is reported that the duo first met at a Conservative party conference in 1997, and afterwards, they decided to go on their first date together. Truss suggested going to an ice rink, but the date turned out to be awkward, with Mr O'Leary spraining his ankle in the rink, but they continued their relationship despite the initial rocky start.
However, after seven years of being together and four years of marriage, Truss got involved in an affair with her then-mentor, Mark Field. Truss and Field's relationship began when the former Prime Minister, who was a party activist, was appointed by Mr Field, the then Tory spokesman in London.
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She was assigned as his political mentor to help her career, but it caused more harm than good. Though Field maintained that their physical relationship ended in June 2005, close friends revealed that they continued to meet as friends for three months after the breakup.
When they met for the final time in September that year, Truss informed Field that she was pregnant with her husband's child. The Daily Mail later reported that Mr Field told a friend: "These things happen, and of course, it was a bit of a risk. But then these things always are a bit of a mess."
Despite the scandal, Truss claimed that her marriage had actually become 'stronger' (PA)The affair is said to have even led to the breakdown of Field’s 12-year marriage to his wife Michele, who has openly blamed the affair to the breakdown of their marriage. But on the other side, Truss' husband had a completely different reaction. The pair continued to work on things behind closed doors, and O’Leary continued to support his wife throughout her campaign for Prime Minister.
Despite the scandal, Truss claimed that her marriage had actually become 'stronger' after the affair, and it had been a learning experience for the now-PM. She admitted that the affair was a mistake, and apologised to her husband for it. Ten years later, in 2019, she shared a rare Instagram snap on Valentine's Day, captioned "Love of my life. #happyvalentinesday," confirming that she is now happily married.
Despite the situation being defused, news of their affair caused shockwaves through the party and beyond, with many questioning the integrity of those in power. The revelation of the affair caused a major headache for then-Prime Minister David Cameron.
News of her affair caused shockwaves through the Tory party and beyond (@AngelaRayner/Twitter)Activists were outraged at the news, and Truss faced the possibility of being axed as a parliamentary candidate for the South West Norfolk seat. Cameron had been pushing to increase the number of female MPs in his party, known as the Cameron Cuties," but grassroots Conservatives felt they were being strong-armed.
Ms Truss had been selected from the elite A-list of candidates approved by the party's high command, and members were furious that Conservative Campaign HQ didn't warn them when they asked if she had any secrets before her selection.
Deputy party chairman John Maples was ordered to write to activists in Norfolk to apologise for the way her selection was handled. The Shadow Women's Minister, Baroness Morris of Bolton, intervened in the row. She stated that having an extramarital affair should not hinder someone from becoming an MP.
Since the affair neither Truss nor her husband elaborated on the matter (Andy Stenning/Sunday Mirror)
Friends have Truss and O'Leary "great team" to their daughters Liberty and Frances (PA)She encouraged Conservative Party members not to reject Truss, explaining that it was not a valid reason to prevent someone from entering Westminster in today's world. Mr. Cameron apologised profusely to party members to save Truss' career and insisted that she was the right person for the job. She managed to weather the storm and was elected to the House of Commons for the first time in March 2010.
In the years that followed, neither Truss nor her husband elaborated on the matter, but in 2019 she stated, "I am really happily married." Friends have also claimed that the strong couple, who are parents to daughters Liberty and Frances, are a "great team" who have not shown any cracks.
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