Yet, beneath the infamous CCTV stills and the tabloid front pages lies a story of a highly capable and successful businesswoman whose career, intellect, and discretion once made her an invisible force in shaping narratives within government and corporate boardrooms. Her journey—from the hallowed halls of Oxford University to the corridors of the Department of Health—offers a fascinating case study of power, connection, and the high cost of private actions clashing with public duty.
This is the untold story of Gina Coladangelo: the lobbyist, the director, the partner, and the woman behind the headlines.
Early Life and a Formative Oxford Education
Gina Lucia Coladangelo was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, in August 1977 . She grew up in an environment of professional success and ambition. Her father, Rino Casmira Coladangelo, was a prominent businessman of Italian heritage who had moved to the UK as a child. Trained as a doctor and highly placed within the National Health Service (NHS), he also managed a large hospital trust and was involved in various health-related businesses . Her mother, Heather, was a flower seller . This blend of commercial acumen and public service likely provided an early blueprint for Gina’s future career navigating the intersection of business and government.
Coladangelo’s formative education took place at the Godolphin and Latymer School in London, a prestigious independent school for girls known for producing sharp, outspoken graduates . From there, she followed a well-trodden path for aspiring members of the British elite to the University of Oxford. Between 1995 and 1998, she attended Oriel College, where she read Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)—the quintessential degree for future prime ministers, policymakers, and political masterminds .
It was here, in the bustling, intellectually charged atmosphere of Oxford, that a seemingly minor extracurricular activity would have life-altering consequences decades later. Coladangelo worked as a newsreader at the student radio station, Oxygen 107.9 FM. On the same station, a young man named Matt Hancock reported on sports .
They were both young, ambitious, and immersed in the world of politics and media. At the time, it was just a brief chapter in their university lives—a friendship forged over a shared interest in communication. They likely had no idea that their paths would cross again in the most dramatic of circumstances, with Hancock as the Secretary of State for Health and Coladangelo as the aide at the centre of his downfall.
A Formidable Career in Lobbying and Communications
After graduating with her Master’s degree from Oriel College, Coladangelo didn’t immediately rush into the political limelight. Instead, she honed her skills in the competitive world of public relations and lobbying, quickly establishing herself as a formidable operator .
She began her career as a senior account manager in the campaigns division at Munro and Forster Communications . However, her real rise to prominence began in 2002 when she joined the public relations and lobbying firm Luther Pendragon . This was the heart of the Westminster influence machine. Luther Pendragon specialized in helping clients navigate the complexities of government, offering a “deep understanding of the mechanics of government” . It was a world where relationships were currency and understanding the levers of power was essential.
Coladangelo didn’t just fit in; she excelled. Her work involved advising pharmaceutical companies, NGOs, and policymakers, often operating behind the scenes to manage crises and shape media narratives . Her talent was quickly recognized, and she was promoted to partner in April 2005 . Just months later, in December 2005, she led a management buyout of the firm alongside three other partners.
With a £2,000,000 investment from the private equity firm Octopus Asset Management, she became a director and a major shareholder . This was not just a job for Coladangelo; it was a business she now partly owned. She remained a director until 2017 and, as of 2021, continued to be a shareholder, demonstrating a long-term commitment to the influence industry .
In 2014, Coladangelo transitioned from the world of lobbying to the retail sector, taking on the role of marketing and communications director at Oliver Bonas . The lifestyle and fashion chain was founded by her husband, Oliver Tress. While this move was a step away from the cut-and-thrust of Westminster lobbying, it kept her firmly in the world of high-level business strategy and brand management.
The Controversial Path to Government
The threads of Coladangelo’s past and present began to weave together in a way that would ultimately prove fatal to Matt Hancock’s political career. Despite her decades of experience, it was her connection to the Health Secretary that facilitated her entry into the heart of government during a national crisis.
In June 2019, she received a parliamentary pass as a member of Hancock’s staff . Then, in March 2020, as the UK braced for the full force of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was appointed to a part-time role as a non-executive director at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) . The role, which paid £15,000 for a six-month contract (the equivalent of £1,000 a day), was designed to bring external expertise to the department’s board, offering oversight and strategic advice on communication and governance .
The appointment immediately raised eyebrows. There was no public record of it, and critics pointed out that Coladangelo was not only a close personal friend of the Secretary of State but also a lobbyist with a financial interest in health-related businesses through her ongoing shareholding in Luther Pendragon .
As an aide to Hancock, she was given access to sensitive, confidential meetings with civil servants, accompanying him to private briefings where the government’s pandemic response was being formulated . This proximity of a lobbyist and personal friend to the heart of decision-making during a public health emergency sparked accusations of cronyism and a lack of transparency .
The situation was further complicated by her family connections. Coladangelo’s brother, Roberto, was a director of Partnering Health Limited (PHL), a company that won a £28m NHS contract. While there was no suggestion of wrongdoing by PHL, Matt Hancock was later found to have breached the Ministerial Code by failing to declare his close family connection to the company when the contract was awarded . The lines between personal relationships, professional lobbying, and public duty were becoming dangerously blurred.
The Scandal: A Kiss That Broke the Rules
The carefully constructed worlds of Matt Hancock and Gina Coladangelo came crashing down on 25 June 2021. The Sun newspaper published exclusive closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from 6 May 2021 .
The grainy but unmistakable images showed Hancock and Coladangelo in a passionate embrace and kissing inside the DHSC’s London headquarters . The footage was a bombshell for multiple reasons. First, it exposed an extramarital affair between two married parents. Second, and perhaps more damagingly, it showed the very minister responsible for enforcing the nation’s lockdown rules flagrantly breaking them. At the time, strict social distancing guidelines were in place prohibiting close contact between people from different households . The hypocrisy was staggering.
The public and political reaction was swift and merciless. Hancock, who had appeared on television screens for months lecturing the public on the importance of following the rules, was now exposed as having broken them for a clandestine office romance. “The excuses didn’t suffice and his infidelity cost him his post,” summarized one French media outlet . An Italian news site noted the dual nature of the scandal: “It was a flagrant violation of the anti-Covid rules… but the woman’s hiring procedure also came under scrutiny” .
Just a day later, on 26 June 2021, Matt Hancock resigned as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. In his resignation letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he acknowledged that he had “let people down” . Coladangelo resigned from her position at the DHSC shortly after . The fairytale Oxford reunion had become a public relations nightmare.
Life After the Fallout
In the immediate aftermath of the scandal, both Hancock and Coladangelo retreated from public life to deal with the personal devastation left in its wake. It was widely reported that they left their respective spouses to be together . Hancock separated from his wife, Martha, whom he had married in 2006 and with whom he had three children. Coladangelo separated from her husband, Oliver Tress, the founder of Oliver Bonas, with whom she also shares three children .
Following the separation from their spouses, it was reported that Hancock and Coladangelo moved in together . For a time, they remained out of the spotlight, attempting to rebuild their lives away from the relentless media glare.
However, Hancock’s quest for rehabilitation took a bizarre turn in late 2022 when he entered the Australian jungle as a contestant on the reality TV show I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! . The move was widely criticized as a cynical ploy to rehabilitate his image, but it provided a unique window into his relationship with Coladangelo.
On the show, celebrities receive emotional letters from home. Coladangelo’s letter to Hancock was read out, offering a glimpse into their domestic life and her sense of humour. She wrote: “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” . When Hancock finished the show in third place, it was Coladangelo who was waiting for him at the end of the famous bridge, embracing him in a tearful reunion .
The Businesswoman Re-emerges
While Matt Hancock has continued to court publicity through media appearances and reality TV, Gina Coladangelo has made a conscious and deliberate choice to return to the shadows from which she came. She has maintained her silence, refusing to grant interviews or issue public statements, thereby retaining a measure of control over her personal narrative .
Away from the political drama, she has quietly returned to her professional life. Recent records show that in July 2024, she was appointed as a Director of Beyond Autism, a charity dedicated to supporting children and young people with autism . This role marks a significant departure from the world of lobbying and politics, focusing instead on charitable work and social impact. It suggests a woman keen to rebuild her reputation through meaningful, low-profile work, far removed from the scandal that defined her in the public eye.
It is believed she continues her work in strategic communications and consultancy, leveraging the skills she honed over a decades-long career, but doing so largely outside of media and political commentary .
Conclusion: A Legacy Beyond the Scandal
Gina Coladangelo’s story is far more complex than the tabloid headlines suggest. She is not merely a character in Matt Hancock’s story, but a highly accomplished professional in her own right—an Oxford-educated businesswoman who built a successful career in the competitive world of lobbying and corporate communications .
Her trajectory reveals uncomfortable truths about the nature of power in Britain. It highlights how personal connections, forged decades ago in elite institutions like Oxford, can facilitate access to the highest levels of government, blurring the lines between merit and patronage. Her appointment to the DHSC, while justifiable on paper given her experience, exposed the ethical grey areas that exist when ministers appoint their friends to sensitive public roles.
Ultimately, her story is a cautionary tale about visibility, discretion, and the high cost of miscalculated intimacy in the halls of power. She was a woman who spent her entire career shaping narratives from behind the scenes, only to have her own narrative hijacked by a single moment captured on CCTV. While Matt Hancock has sought to reinvent himself as a reality TV star and media personality, Coladangelo has chosen a different path: a return to privacy, professionalism, and purpose. In doing so, she may finally be taking control of her own story—not with a tell-all interview, but with the quiet dignity of a life lived out of the public eye
