Ms Mordaunt is also well remembered for her appearance on reality television programme Splash!, which she said was “out of her comfort zone”.
She held roles under Conservative leaders Sir John Major and William Hague, and also worked for George W Bush’s presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004.
Under the coalition government of David Cameron, she served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Decentralisation from 2014 to 2015.
After the 2015 general election, she became the first woman to serve as defence secretary.
She was also the first woman to hold the role of Minister for the Armed Forces that year.
In 2016 she was named Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, and in 2017 she became the Secretary of State for International Development.
The 51-year-old has been a Royal Navy reservist since 2009, completed officer training in 2013, and gained honorary commission in 2019.
She now holds the honorary rank of captain.
The daughter of a paratrooper and a special needs teacher, Ms Mordaunt has lived in her home city of Portsmouth since the age of two.
She was educated at Oaklands RC Comprehensive School and was the first member of her family to go to university.
Before studying philosophy at Reading University, she worked as a magician’s assistant for a member of the Portsmouth and District Magic Circle, Will Ayling, author of The Art of Illusion and Oriental Conjuring and Magic.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
