Chuka Umunna claimed to have “no skeletons” in his closet after his dramatic withdrawal from the Labour leadership race.
The Shadow Business Secretary, tipped by many to be a future Labour leader, admitted his “heart wasn’t really in it” before quitting the contest just three days after throwing his hat into the ring.
The Streatham MP revealed it was when reporters disrupted his girlfriend’s family’s Sunday roast dinner that he decided to pull out of the race.
Speaking on BBC Newsnight, Mr Umunna did not rule out standing for party leader in the future, but added: “I think it's quite unlikely”.
Reflecting on his reasons for quitting the leadership race, he said: "The level of media attention and pressure… when it began to affect my girlfriend, her family and my family and we had reporters for example going to her family when they were in the middle of having their Sunday roast with her 97-year-old grandmother - I found that very hard to stomach."
He added: "For once I thought in my life I'm going to put my family, my girlfriend, her family, put them first - and this is not the right time for me.
"My heart wasn't really in it at that moment, particularly going through that experience.
"There were no skeletons, no revelations, I have absolutely nothing to hide."
Mr Umunna, who is seen as a Blairite in the centre of the party, is backing Liz Kendall to take over as Labour leader.
The others standing in the contest are Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Shadow International Development Secretary Mary Creagh.
Who is Chuka Umunna?
Second to declare(01 of12)
Open Image ModalHe was the first black shadow cabinet member in Britain ever appointed.... in 2011 (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Young gun(02 of12)
Open Image ModalAged 36, Umunna is considerably younger than the other prospective Labour leaders: Andy Burnham is 45, Yvette Cooper 46, Liz Kendall 43 and Angela Eagle 54. (credit:Rui Vieira/PA Wire)
Majority man(03 of12)
Open Image ModalHe became the MP for Streatham in the 2010 General Election with a majority of more than 3,000, which increased substantially to over 13,000 in the 2015 election. He has been shadow business secretary since 2011. (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
On Obama(04 of12)
Open Image ModalDoes the Barack Obama comparison annoy him? “It’s very flattering to be compared to President Obama… but it’s not a comparison I have encouraged” (credit:JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images)
One nation(05 of12)
Open Image ModalHe has previously said he supports "One Nation Labour", a concept espoused by Ed Miliband from 2012. It relates to a phrase used by Tory Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, to suggest a politics that supports and idea of uniting Britain across class barriers. (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Mistakes(06 of12)
Open Image ModalIn 2013 he was forced to apologise after being accused of hypocrisy when he accepted a £20,000 gift from a gambling executive, while he was campaigning against the growing number of betting shops in his constituency of Streatham. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Father(07 of12)
Open Image ModalHe was born in Streatham, to a Nigerian father who was part of the Igbo ethnic group from the South East of the country. Umunna's father died in a road accident in Nigeria in 1992. (credit:JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images)
Mother(08 of12)
Open Image ModalHis mother, who is white British, is the daughter of the late Helenus Milmo QC, a notable lawyer who was a prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials, where members of Nazi Germany's WWII regime were charged. (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Chorister(09 of12)
Open Image ModalAs a child, Umunna was a chorister at Southwark Cathedral in South London. He studied law at the University of Manchester and Nottingham Law School, becoming a solicitor specialising in employment law. (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Compass(10 of12)
Open Image ModalFrom 2006 he started writing about the Labour party, often as part of the lobbying group Compass, which is aligned with Labour, and then founded a political magazine called The Multicultural Politic. (credit:JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images)
Ed Mili-fan(11 of12)
Open Image ModalFrom 2010 to 2011, he served as Ed Miliband's Parliamentary Private Secretary, after proposing Miliband as the successor to Gordon Brown. Umunna, who backed Miliband for the Labour leadership in 2010, has been emphatic in his support for his former boss: “I would trust Ed with my life.” (credit:Rui Vieira/PA Wire)
The field(12 of12)
Open Image ModalUmunna could also face heavyweights such as Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper, who are considered possible candidates.
Former shadow cabinet minister Angela Eagle has said she is considering running for the role, as the party comes to terms with its unexpected general election defeat.
Umunna, the second candidate to formally throw his hat in the ring after shadow health minister Liz Kendall, said he had held back from making his announcement while he spoke to defeated candidates from the party's disastrous election performance. (credit:PA/PA Wire)