Coronation swordswoman Penny Mordaunt today admitted taking painkillers to cope with wielding two historic weapons as King Charles was crowned.
The Cabinet Minister was a hit with TV viewers of the royal spectacle as she brandished two swords during the service.
The MP’s performance won rave reviews for her upper body strength as she held the weapons in Westminster Abbey.
"I was not in the gym for six months prior to this", she told the BBC.
But she added: "You want to make sure you are in good nick. I did take a couple of painkillers before just to make sure I was going to be all right.
"We got through it and it was only half of the ceremony I had to carry the Sword of State, which is the really heavy one, and then I traded it in for the very exquisite Jewelled Sword of Offering, which is much lighter."
As Lord President of the Council, the former Tory leadership hopeful was responsible for bearing the Sword of State and presenting the Jewelled Sword of Offering to the King - the first time the role has been carried out by a woman.
The 50-year-old, dressed in a custom-made teal outfit with a matching cape and headband with gold feather embroidery, held and carried the pieces for most of the service.
Offering tips for enduring strength-sapping events, she said: "I think it's practice - like anything you're preparing for, don't leave anything to chance, have a good breakfast, wear comfortable shoes.
"I had a great team with me because the chaps who haven't got any plaudits at all, the former defence chiefs who were standing behind me with the other swords in the ceremony - we were all there supporting each other and we'd obviously been talking under our breath at each other during rehearsals, keeping each other going."
MPs from across the political spectrum hailed Ms Mordaunt’s Abbey role as she answered Commons questions about upcoming parliamentary business today.
Labour’s Shadow Commons Leader Thangham Debbonaire paid tribute to her as “a symbol of solemnity, the first woman to have ever presented the Jewelled Sword of Offering to a British monarch”.
She added: “She diligently carried out her duty with grace and poise and was a credit to this House as our representative.”
Suggesting Ms Mordaunt could again launch a tilt for the Conservative Party’s top job, Scottish nationalist MP Deidre Brock said: “Commendable upper body strength on show there and with the added strain of having to remain silent virtually all afternoon, so well done her.
"Now, maybe - though it was a ‘speak softly and carry a big sword moment’ - it appears carrying a lethal weapon and wearing an imperial style outfit now makes her favourite to be the next Tory leader.”
Ms Brock’s comment was a nod to former US President Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy, which he declared as: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”
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