Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster has been left most upset and bereft by apparently unfounded allegations of an extramarital affair with a close protection officer.
A tweet of the alleged affair by celebrity doctor Dr. Christian Jessen, were described as “very distressing” for her and her family.
The DUP leader was giving evidence in person during a libel hearing at the High Court in Belfast.
Dr. Jessen aggravated libel by posting about the allegations on three further occasions according to lawyers for Mrs Foster, who added that he ignored their initial warnings.
Mrs Foster told those gathered that she was “very, very upset” at having to speak to her husband Brian about the allegations, which first surfaced online in December 2019.
“It was humiliating that the relationship most important to me had been trashed and put out there in the public domain in this fashion,” she said.
She described how she sat two of her three children down two days before Christmas to discuss the allegations. She also had to explain the situation to her elderly mother, the court heard. The judge has reserved his judgement.
