Former One journalist and presently communications coordinator of Energy and Health Minister Konrad Mizzi, Lyndsey Gambin, today denied having an extra marital affair with the minister, saying her relationship with him was purely professional. 

Ms Gambin was testifying during criminal libel proceedings filed by Dr Mizzi against blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia over a blog posted last November in which she alleged that Dr Mizzi was having an affair with Ms Gambin. 

Describing the entire post as "not true", Ms Gambin insisted that her relationship with the minister was purely professional. 

Testifying in another sitting, Dr Mizzi also vehemently denied ever kissing Ms Gambin or ever engaging in an "intimate embrace" as alleged by the blogger. 

"She said the relationship with Lindsey Gambin was an open secret among members of the press and politicians. This is far from an open secret but completely absurd. Worse than that she claimed that we were seen in an intimate embrace. This is blatant lie, beyond imagination. I never kissed her or intimately embraced her," he told Magistrate Francesco Depasquale.

When she took the witness stand today, Ms Gambin said that what was alleged by the blogger was "not true, especially in those circumstances". 

She was referring to the part of the blog that she had been seen in an intimate embrace with the minister at the Cigar Room at the Hilton Malta Hotel. 

Under cross examination, however, Ms Gambin admitted to having been in that particular room with the minister attending a meeting. When asked with whom, she said that all she could remember was that they were foreigners and that one of them was called Darren. 

Asked whether she had ever gone abroad with Dr Mizzi, Ms Gambin confirmed that she had travelled twice "on work trips" and once to attend a course. 

The case continues. 

Lawyer Joe Zammit Maempel appeared for Ms Caruana Galizia while lawyer Edward Gatt appeared for Ms Gambin.