Liz Truss has just become Prime Minister - but her political career was nearly dead in the water when her affair was exposed. The new Conservative leader beat rival Rishi Sunak to replace Boris Johnson in No10 - and has officially become the PM after an audience with the Queen at Balmoral.
Few would have predicted that Ms Truss would reach such heights back in 2006 when her extra-marital relations with a fellow MP caused a scandal for the Tories. Ms Truss had an 18-month relationship with married front bencher Mark Field, who was a key member of David Cameron's Shadow Cabinet, which began at the start of 2004.
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According to friends, their relationship started when Ms Truss, a party activist, was sent to work for Mr Field, who was then the Tory spokesman on London.
The Shadow Minister for London was assigned as her political mentor in a move to help her career - but it nearly completely ruined it.
Mr Field claimed their physical relationship ended in June 2005 but close pals claimed they continued to see each other "as friends" for three months later.
When they met for the final time in September that year, Ms Truss allegedly revealed she was pregnant with her husband's baby.
At the time, The Daily Mail reported that Mr Field told one 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."
A senior Conservative revealed: "The Tories have a system of established MPs acting as mentors to young activists. Liz, who very much wants to be an MP, was sent to 'shadow' Mark in his role but it seems Mark took his mentoring duties more seriously than intended."
Mr Field's marriage of 12 years with wife Michele broke down and she cited her ex-husband's adultery with Ms Truss in their divorce. He has since remarried.
When asked about the affair outside their London home, Ms Truss' husband simply said: "I don't want to talk."
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While Ms Truss claimed that her marriage with O'Leary was actually 'stronger' after the affair and it had been a learning experience.
Speaking to the Eastern Daily Press in November 2009, she said: "I've very much learned from the past. We are coming up to our 10th wedding anniversary. Since this happened we have become a lot stronger.
"I am sorry about the affair it was a mistake. The main person I am sorry to is my husband. We have now made that up and moved on from that."
The scandal caused a major headache for David Cameron because activists were furious to learn of the fling - and Ms Truss faced being axed as a Parliamentary candidate for the South West Norfolk seat.
The Tory leader was pushing to increase the number of female MPs in his party, who were dubbed 'Cameron Cuties', but grass-roots Conservatives felt they were being strong-armed.
Ms Truss had been picked from the elite A-list of candidates approved by the party's high command - and members were livid that Conservative Campaign HQ didn't warn them when they asked if she had any skeletons before they selected her.
Deputy party chairman John Maples was ordered to write to the activists in Norfolk saying sorry for the way her selection was handled.
The shadow women's minister, Baroness Morris of Bolton, intervened in the row, saying that having an extramarital affair should not stand in the way of someone becoming an MP.
She called on Conservative Party activists not to sack Ms Truss, saying that "in this day and age" it was not a reason to stop someone entering Westminster.
Mr Cameron was forced to issue a grovelling apology to party activists last night to save Ms Truss' career and insisted she was the right woman for the job.
Speaking at the time, the former PM aid: "She is an excellent candidate and I very much hope she will be the candidate."
Mr Cameron reportedly feared a grassroots revolt that could lead to a string of other candidates being booted out if Ms Truss was ousted - plunging the party into chaos.
A motion was proposed to terminate Ms Truss' candidature, but this was defeated by 132 votes to 37 at a general meeting of the association's members three weeks later.
She managed to ride out the storm and was elected to the House of Commons for the first time in March 2010.
In the following years, neither Ms Truss or her husband have elaborated on the affair but in 2019 she stated: "I am really happily married."
Friends have also claimed the strong couple, who are parents to daughters Liberty and Frances, are a "great team" who ahvent' shown cracks.
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