Hancock explains that the couple fell in love whilst working together.
Former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock has explained he broke lockdown rules because he “fell deeply in love”.
Hancock resigned from the role after video footage revealed he was having an affair with a senior aide and non-executive director at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Gina Coladangelo.
The footage was taken on May 6 2021, when indoor social gatherings of people from different households were banned. The recommendation was that people stay two metres apart and avoid “face to face contact”.
Speaking candidly on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Hancock explains that the couple fell in love whilst working together.
We fell in love.
Speaking to entrepreneur Steven Bartlett in the podcast, Hancock explained, “We fell in love, and that’s something that was completely outside of my control.”
“It all happened quite quickly; it actually happened after the rules were lifted, but the guidance was still in place. So I’m not trying to claim that, I hold no bitterness about this because I broke the rules, I fess up, I broke the guidance.”
Hancock remains insistent he didn’t break the law – arguing it was just guidance.
He went on: “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. And that happened because I fell in love with somebody.”
Lacking respect and professionalism.
Nursing staff have taken to social media to share their views on the interview.
One frontline nurse suggested that Hancock should have shown “professionalism” and “respect” for those who were sacrificing their relationships to work on the frontline during the pandemic.
Speaking to NursingNotes, they explained, “Nurses and other healthcare workers sacrificed time with their children and their own relationships with loved ones to care for patients when they needed us most”.
Another pointed out that families loved ones while Mr Hancock was “falling in love”.
