Lucia Hunt hugged a nun in a Kenyan slum today as she yet again stole the limelight from her Foreign Secretary husband.
On what was billed as his 'leadership tour' of African nations ahead of a possible bit to replace Theresa May she showed her empathy by reaching out to embrace the Christian sister as they visited the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi.
They toured the shanty town that is home to around 500,000 people on the sixth and last day of a tour of five counties in which she has seemed to throw herself into a role supporting her ambitious partner.
Mr Hunt, who at 52 is 11 years older than his glamorous wife, has been touted as a unity candidate who could heal the badly wounded Conservative Party if he replaces Mrs May when and if she steps down.
Mrs Hunt embraces a nun in the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, on the last of a six-day tour of Africa alongside her husband, the Foreign Secretary
The visit to east African nation came at the end of trip which has seen them cross the continent, after vising Senegal, Ghan and Nigeria in the west
The Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt went running with blind Kenyan Paralympic athlete Henry Wanyoike while visiting Kenya today
The Foreign Secretary visited Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria and Ethiopia before ending up in Kenya on the last leg of his week-long trip to Africa - seen by some as an attempt to position himself as the next prime minister.
But when asked by the Press Association if he was posturing as Mrs May's successor, Mr Hunt insisted that he wanted to be a 'great Foreign Secretary' who was seeking to 'recast our relationship with Africa'.
Pressed on the question, he said: 'I think there will come a time for all these discussions when Theresa May decides that she wants to step aside but right now I want to support her in getting a Brexit deal through.'
During the visit Mr Hunt has frequently unleashed Lucia as his secret weapon.
Mrs Hunt has been front and centre on a trip ostensibly to promote British interests, with Mr Hunt speaking strongly on issues including press freedom and security co-operation.
But with his wife and the mother of their three children - Jack, Anna and Eleanor - by his side he has been carving out a strong personal profile at a time when it may come in most useful to help him gain the keys to Number 10.
Key to this has been Mrs Hunt, born Lucia Guo in Xian, who met her husband through his education publishing business Hotcourses, which he later sold for £14million.
She has seemed to fully embrace the photo opportunities on offer this week.
While the partners of previous foreign secretaries have accompanied them on official trips abroad in the past the high-profile appearance of Mrs Hunt is more unusual.
Today she enjoyed stroking a tortoise at the British Ambassador's residence in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Mrs Hunt glaces at the Foreign Secretary as they board his plane in Accra, Ghana, bound for Nigeria on Tuesday
