Do we really a believe a woman married for almost 30 years to a man described as her best friend would be so ignorant of his business affairs as to find herself unwittingly compromised?

Not only is Tessa Jowell supposed to have had the relationship we all aspire to but she has marked herself as a feminist leader making it all the harder for me to believe she was prone to ditzy phases where she signed for re-mortgages unaware of what she was signing for.

Using this dumb woman scenario as her excuse also doesn't sit very well with me.

How disappointing that a figure so respected for her acumen and her ability to articulate complex ideas should resort to such a lame excuse and one which brings all she has done to promote women in the workplace into a questionable light.

What she offered as a reason is in direct opposition to how she wanted to be received, ie; an intelligent politician.

Surely Tessa had some concerns about her husband's dealings with Italian politics?

And in all of this I do feel sorry for her husband yes he has been shady in his dealings but he has been sacrificed without hesitation to save Tessa's career.

While she plays the media he has had to skulk away. She chose Tony Blair over her husband and there is no going back.

Unless of course this is all a charade for our benefit and really her and David will get back together when the dust settles.

Actually I could understand that scenario more than this being the end of their long and happy marriage.

In fact, the public would welcome the idea of their love being stronger than ever and respect her for her loyalty.

What is harder to understand is the velocity with which she publically removed herself from him.

I think she may well have made a huge error of judgement in dumping him.

If we are to accept her excuses she must be alarmingly ignorant.

If we don't believe her she must be alarmingly calculating.

Either way, can we respect and trust her?