Is Liz Truss married? Mark Field affair explained - who is husband Hugh O’Leary and do they have children

Liz Truss has been announced as the next Prime Minister (PM) for the UK.

The Foreign Secretary, who had gone up against former Chancellor Rishi Sunak won the Tory Leadership Contest by 81,326 votes to Sunak’s 60,399.

Truss will officially be sworn in on Tuesday 6 September by the Queen at Balmoral.

But who will be joining her in her move to 10 Downing Street? Here’s everything you need to know.

Who is Hugh O’Leary?

Hugh O’Leary is the husband of new PM Liz Truss.

The pair met at the 1997 Tory Party conference, hitting it off and going on to date.

O’Leary, who is originally from Liverpool, studied econometrics and mathematical economics at the London School of Economics (LSE) and works as a chartered accountant.

Truss has previously spoken about their pair’s first date, when they went ice skating and O’Leary “sprained his ankle”.

The couple got married in 2000, settling in Greenwich, London and are very private about their personal life.

In 2006, news broke that Truss had an affair with former Tory MP Mark Field.

O’Leary did not discuss the scandal, with his only comment to The Daily Mail at the time: “I don’t want to talk about it.”

How long has he been married to Liz Truss?

O’Leary has been married to Truss since 2000, with the pair celebrating over two decades of marriage.

Both rarely comment on one another in public, with the couple keeping this side of their life private.

However, in 2019 Truss shared a rare picture with her husband for Valentine’s Day alongside a caption which read: “love of my life.”

According to the Daily Mail, cookery writer Mallika Basu who is a close family friend has described the couple as a “great team.”

Basu said: “They are a great team. Both are keen cooks and very good cooks. She does lovely roasts, he does a good curry.”

Did Liz Truss have an affair?

In 2006 Truss’ marriage was rocked with allegations that she had an affair with former Tory MP Mark Field.

The then Shadow Minister for London was appointed as Truss’ political mentor, with the pair ending up engaged in an affair that lasted 18 months.

The scandal was revealed by the Daily Mail in 2006, leading to the end of Field’s 12-year marriage.

O’Leary has never publicly commented on the allegations, with his only comment to the Daily Mail stating that he “didn’t want to talk about it.”

Truss has never directly commented on the affair either, answering that she is “really happily married” in an interview with You Magazine in 2019.

Do they have children?

Truss and O’Leary have two daughters, Frances and Liberty who are believed to be 16-years-old and 13-years-old.

Their two daughters are kept out of the limelight, with their identity remaining private.

Speaking about her parenting methods in a 2018 BBC interview, Truss discussed locking her daughter’s phone away to limit screen time.

Truss said: “I’m known as the phone jailer in our household,” adding: “I think the best method is physically locking it away.”

Has Hugh O’Leary been involved in politics?

Whilst he works as an accountant, according to The Times, O’Leary has previously tried to pursue a career in politics as a Tory councillor in 2002.

After losing the election, he has continued to be part of the Tory Party, although he has taken a backseat throughout the Tory Leadership race.