LONDON — British Foreign Secretary William Hague said that one of his advisers resigned Wednesday because of "malicious" rumours claiming that the two had an inappropriate relationship.

Hague said that Christopher Myers, 25, stepped down from his post because of the pressure on his family caused by the "untrue and malicious allegations."

The foreign secretary also took the unusual step of releasing a personal statement asserting that his marriage is not in trouble and denying that he had ever had a relationship with a man.

Hague revealed that he and his wife Ffion have been traumatized by their inability to conceive a child but that the fertility problems have drawn them closer together.

"I have made no secret of the fact that Ffion and I would love to start a family," he said. "For many years this has been our goal. Sadly this has proved more difficult for us than for most couples. We have encountered many difficulties and suffered multiple miscarriages, and indeed are still grieving for the loss of a pregnancy this summer."

Hague is a former leader of the Conservative Party who has risen to national prominence with the party's victory in the May elections.

Some of the rumours were based on the fact that Hague and Myers had shared hotel rooms during the election campaign.

"In hindsight I should have given greater consideration to what might have been made of that," he said. "But this is in itself no justification for allegations of this kind, which are untrue and deeply distressing to me, to Ffion and to Christopher."