LONDON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague has denied rumours he was gay and said one of his male aides had quit over untrue speculation they had been involved in a relationship.

Suggestions about Hague's sexuality surfaced in recent days after newspapers published pictures of the foreign secretary with his aide Christopher Myers and reported the men had shared a hotel room during campaigning for May's election.

In a statement issued on Wednesday night, Hague rejected accusations that Myers, 25, had not been qualified to hold the post of special adviser and that there had been other illicit reasons for his appointment.

"He is easily qualified for the job he holds. Any suggestion that his appointment was due to an improper relationship between us is utterly false, as is any suggestion that I have ever been involved in a relationship with any man," said Hague, 49.

"This speculation seems to stem from the fact that whilst campaigning before the election we occasionally shared twin hotel rooms. Neither of us would have done so if we had thought that it in any way meant or implied something else." As foreign secretary, Hague is one of the most senior figures in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, the first since World War Two, which was formed after the election.

Being gay would not in itself be a major political issue but any suggestion of impropriety such as securing an appointment for a lover or friend would be.

Media reports said Prime Minister David Cameron had given Hague his full support although the Guardian newspaper reported that Downing Street had agreed he needed to issue the detailed statement to kill off the potentially damaging rumours.

In May treasury minister David Laws quit after it was revealed that he had claimed tens of thousands of pounds in parliamentary expenses for rent he passed on to his long-term male partner.

Laws said his motive had not been profit but to keep the relationship private. Last week prisons minister Crispin Blunt announced he was gay and was separating from his wife. He remains in the government.

Hague, a former Conservative Party leader who married in 1997, revealed his wife Ffion in 1997 had suffered a number of miscarriages as he sought to quash the rumours that his marriage was in difficulty.

"We are aware that the stress of infertility can often strain a marriage, but in our case, thankfully, it has only brought us closer together," he said.

"It has been an immensely traumatic and painful experience but our marriage is strong and we will face whatever the future brings together. We wish everyone to know that we are very happily married."