Saturday January 21 dawned bright and sunny at my home near Winchester. It was the first weekend since my withdrawal from the Liberal Democrat leadership election. Quite simply, I had failed to get the level of support I needed from my fellow MPs.

I was looking forward to a quiet weekend and a relaxing few weeks with my family. Meanwhile, the remaining candidates would be up early, rushing from husting to husting. I had no regrets.

As I pulled open the bedroom curtains I saw two cars in the village hall car park opposite. It struck me as odd. Something was amiss but I wasn’t sure what.

I told Belinda I was going over to talk to them. I got dressed and marched out to find out what was going on. One of the drivers tried to hide a camera and it was at that moment I knew something was badly wrong.

The other driver emerged from his car, showed me a News of the World business card and said: “I think you know why we are here.”

I didn’t. My first reaction was that it must be something to do with the leadership contest. But why had they hidden the camera?

Then he said: “We have an allegation about a male escort . . .” He produced a photograph of the guy I had seen more than a year before. Until then, it simply hadn’t occurred to me that it had anything to do with my past relationship with a male prostitute. I had boxed that away deep in my mind.

I keep reliving that moment. I knew that my world would change for ever, yet I kept calm. If I had denied the story, the News of the World would have been unable to run it. But it never occurred to me to try to conceal the truth.

I told the reporter I had nothing to say to him and that I had to talk to my family. I then hurried back into the house and spoke to Belinda.

We were standing in the utility room next door to the kitchen — where our daughters Alice, 9, and Milly, 6, were waiting for their breakfast. I told Belinda as succinctly as I could what the News of the World had discovered about me. Not only had I been unfaithful to her, but it had been with a young man. “It’s over for me,” I said.

She was shocked but, initially, calm. Within seconds we had to plan how to tell our family and friends and what to say to Alice and Milly. Trying to get them breakfast was awful — pretending everything was normal when our lives had just been blown apart.

I had no doubt that I should resign as party spokesman on home affairs but beyond that I did not know what the newspaper was going to print and what the fallout would be. I knew I had been to see this guy and, whatever nonsense was reported, I had clearly done wrong and had to accept it.

I spoke on the phone to three of Belinda’s five sisters, who were shocked at my news and concerned for her. I also called my mother and told her that a story would be appearing next day that I had been seeing this guy. She immediately asked: “What can I do to help?” Throughout the whole episode she has been a tower of strength and has kept me going through the bleakest moments.