Gina Coladangelo really solidified her place in history in 2021 when she was pictured in an octopus-like embrace with politician Matt Hancock (as in, he was the octopus, not her) on the front page of every newspaper in the country.
Plus, after that, if she'd wanted to keep her name out of the papers, she had no chance after Matt gushed about her non-stop during his memorable stint on 2022's I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!.
And with Matt Hancock due to give evidence at today's Covid Inquiry, people are now curious to see what's happened between Matt and Gina since they first started having an affair. This comes after repeated criticism made against Matt by a number of other witnesses – including Dominic Cummings, who accused him of having 'lied his way through' the pandemic. The inquiry also heard the country’s most senior civil servant at the time, Lord Sedwill, wanted Mr Hancock sacked to 'save lives and protect the NHS.'
Matt - who had been married to another woman called Martha for 15 years prior to his tryst with Gina - quit his job as health secretary after backlash to the affair (really it was just the icing on the cake of all of the Matt Hancock mess-ups) in June 2021, due to the fact that he’d broken his own social distancing guidelines to embark on the love tryst.
In the months following the scandal, the pair were subsequently sighted on numerous holidays in the months that followed the scandal looking ‘loved up’.
And keen to put his side of the story across, the former health minister even appeared on Steve Bartlett’s Diary Of A CEO podcast to set the record straight.
‘I resigned because I broke the social distancing guidelines,’ claimed Matt. ‘They were the guidelines that I’d been proposing. And that happened because I fell in love with somebody… we fell in love. And that's something that was completely outside of my control.'
Matt reiterated the same excuse when questioned by fellow campmates on I'm A Celebrity.
Who Is Gina Coladangelo?
Before she was known nationally as ‘Matt Hancock’s Aid’, Gina was a marketing and communications director at the much-loved high street chain Oliver Bonas. She was married to the brand’s founder, Oliver Tress, but the pair were quickly reported to have split after the scandal broke.
Gina was also brought in as a communications expert for the Department of Health, a position which held a salary of £15,000 per year. As Gina had no obvious health credentials, it was later accused that she had been hired for personal reasons of cronyism. However, a spokesperson for the Department of Health rubbished these suggestions, while a spokesperson for Matt emphasised to Grazia that she was 'initially brought in as a volunteer'.
Gina Coladangelo also resigned from her role in the Department of Health after her affair with Matt Hancock was exposed.
How old is Gina Coladangelo?
Born in August 1977, Gina is 46 years old.
Does Gina Coladangelo have any children?
Gina shares three children with her ex-husband Oliver Tress: Talia, Layla and Bruno.
For his part, Matt also has three children: two sons and a daughter, who he shares with his ex-wife Martha Hancock.
How did Matt Hancock meet Gina Coladangelo?
Matt and Gina met at Oxford University while volunteering at a student radio station. Speaking to Steve Bartlett about their relationship, he explained, 'I’ve known Gina for more than half of my life and we first actually worked together on student radio back in the Oxford days. So, we spent a lot of time together, ironically, trying to get me to be able to communicate in a more emotionally intelligent way.’
Are Matt Hancock and Gina Coladangelo still together?
Gina and Matt are now seemingly in a very committed relationship. Although, reports have claimed they’re not living together yet. Gina did however sell her family home that she shared with her husband for £7.5 million to Gordon Ramsey in March 2023.
‘Of course, I regret the pain that that’s caused,’ Hancock said of their affair. ‘Doing that in public is incredibly painful but I fell in love with someone.’
‘Anybody knows how difficult it is ending a relationship and we [he and Gina] have six children. It’s tough. But Gina and I love each other very deeply. Seven, eight months later. It gets a bit easier with time.’
What did Matt Hancock say about Gina Coladangelo on I'm A Celeb?
Scenes of fellow campmate Babatunde Aleshe asking Matt Hancock how 'things have been' after 'messing up' have gone viral, with Matt claiming that he 'messed up and [I] 'fessed up, right? I fell in love.'
It's unclear whether Babatunde was referring to his affair or causing the avoidable deaths of tens of thousands of people during covid, but whatever.
Matt went on to say, 'It also had a lot of other consequences, obviously. [But am I still] with Gina? Yeah very much so, yeah, totally. That’ll be the best thing about being kicked out [of camp], seeing her on the bridge.’
What did Gina say in Matt's letter from home on I'm A Celeb?
Each year, selective campmates take part in a challenge to determine who gets a sought-after letter from home. Last year, all members of camp got to hear from their nearest and dearest, with Gina behind a heartfelt letter to Matt.
It read, 'Dear Matt, wow watching you in the jungle has been quite the experience. We are particularly impressed that you conquered your fear of snakes. We are less sure about the dancing. Although we saw that you almost got the electric slide thanks to Scarlette. Gina xxxxx'
The 'Matt Hancock and Regina' confusion explained
No, this isn't yet another of the former health secretary's fancy-women - it seems as though lots of people misheard the name of his former aide and girlfriend: Regina is the Queen Bee on Mean Girls, the woman behind the headlines is just Gina.