Looking back on Leadsom's rollercoaster fortnight as her leadership bid comes crashing down
Video report by ITV's David Wood
It's been an incredible couple of weeks for South Northamptonshire MP Andrea Leadsom.
In the space of just a few days, she saw her dreams of becoming the next Prime Minister gather momentum and then collapse in the most sensational fashion.
Here is the story of her leadership bid.
30th June - Leadsom officially launches her bid
After much speculation, Leadsom officially put her name forward for the Conservative leadership on June 30th.
The news was somewhat overshadowed by events elsewhere though, as Boris Johnson dramatically pulled out of the race at the last minute and Michael Gove entered the running.
Many experts expected the contest to develop into a battle between Home Secretary Theresa May and Gove but it didn't quite turn out that way.
4th July - Boris backs Leadsom for the top job
Leadsom's bid was given a massive boost on July 4th when former favourite Boris Johnson announced his backing to her cause.
Johnson described his fellow leave supporter as "level-headed, kind, and trustworthy" and added that she had the "zap and the determination” to lead the country.
Leadsom also picked up high-profile support from Iain Duncan Smith, while MPs from the East like Stewart Jackson and Nadine Dorries who had previously supported Johnson also joined her campaign.
July 7th - And then there were two...
On July 7th, it was announced that the battle for the Conservative leadership would be between Leadsom and Theresa May after Michael Gove was eliminated in the final ballot.
Leadsom was still quite a long way behind May who won the backing of the majority of Tory MPs, but knew that her standing as a Leave campaigner could stand her in good stead in a post-Brexit Britain.
July 9th - Leadsom's bid unravels
Leadsom hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the weekend when a newspaper interview emerged of her appearing to claim that being a mother gave her an advantage over her rival Theresa May.
Leadsom claimed that the comments in The Times were taken out of context and that she hadn't meant to cause offence.
She told reporters outside her Northamptonshire home that she was "disgusted" with the story but the damage had already been done.
July 11th - Leadsom withdraws from the race
Following mounting pressure, Leadsom decided to withdraw from the contest today.
She claimed that she hadn't got enough support to "lead a strong and stable government" and added that the country didn't need a leadership contest at such an unstable time.
In her speech, she also gave her backing to May who she had apologised to earlier in the day.