Affair with Rebekah Brooks caused my wife pain', admits Andy Coulson

David Cameron’s former spin doctor Andy Coulson told the hacking trial yesterday of the “pain” his affair with Rebekah Brooks caused his wife Eloise.

Andy Coulson, rebekah brooks, trial, court, phone hacking, pain, wife, affair, eloise coulson, old bailey, relationship, journalists, newspaper, news of the world,Andy Coulson and his wife Eloise arrive at the Old Bailey

The ex-News of the World editor said the relationship with his flame-haired colleague was “wrong and it shouldn’t have happened”.

Father-of-three Coulson spoke of his regret as he gave evidence in his own defence at the Old Bailey.

Coulson, who was Brooks’ deputy when she
edited the now-defunct Sunday tabloid and took the top job when she left, said: “There was an affair that started in 1998. It ended quite soon after but it did re-start, as the court has heard.

“What I want to say is that it was not by any means continual.

“There were very long periods – very long periods – where the relationship was what it should have been. But I don’t want to minimise it or excuse it.

“It was wrong and it shouldn’t have happened and I take my full share of responsibility for the pain it has caused other people, not least my wife.”

He admitted they exchanged confidences because of their relationship, but denied “breaching professional standards or rules”.


Coulson, who edited the News of the World for four years after taking over from Brooks in 2003, said he had never heard of the paper’s master hacker Glenn Mulcaire until his arrest.

He said he took no interest in private detectives hired by his journalists and suggested Mulcaire’s £100,000 annual fee was “not a lot of money”.

Coulson went on to tell how he spent a weekend with the Prime Minister after his resignation as media adviser in the wake of the hacking controversy.

The court also heard how in the late 1990s, Coulson, then on The Sun, brokered a deal with David Beckham and then girlfriend Victoria Adams to cover their engagement.

“It was a deal with them,” he said. “From memory, I cannot remember exactly. This is the day they were getting engaged. We were the only paper to get the interview.

“We were the only paper to get the close-up on the ring. We then sold the pictures on and we made a deal for syndication.”

To laughter in court, trial Judge Mr Justice Saunders commented: “A happy event all round!”