Matt Hancock took a plunge in the icy waters of London's Serpentine on Tuesday morning in a display of his sporting prowess.

       The former health secretary, who landed himself in hot water last year following a kiss with his former aide, braved sub-zero temperatures in the capital as he peeled off his layers and submerged himself in the murky waters of the lake.

       Mr Hancock had been running in Hyde Park with members of the Parliamentary Running Club, including Robert Buckland, the former Lord Chancellor, and Lord Bethell, who was a junior health minister under him when in government.

       The 43-year-old Tory MP for West Suffolk swam for around 20 metres, before re-emerging from the icy water and walking barefoot across the frozen ground. He swam in nothing but his running under-shorts, while Mr Buckland emerged in what appeared to be his underwear.

       Mr Hancock has only recently been freed from self-isolation after testing positive for Covid for a second time last week.

       Hancock's most memorable moments:

       It is not the first time that Mr Hancock has displayed his adventurous spirit, after previously being seen leaping over fences and doing press-ups in St James's Park last year.

       He also took part in the 2021 London marathon in October to raise funds for St Nicholas Hospice in his constituency.

       And he was seen riding a scooter and scaling a climbing wall during an official visit to a youth centre in Dagenham, east London, in 2019.

       Mr Hancock resigned from Government in June last year after pictures emerged of him kissing Gina Coladangelo in his ministerial office on May 6, when social distancing rules outlawed contact with members of other households.