Defence Minister Marise Payne is out of hospital and throwing verbal grenades at colleagues who’ve been attempting to undermine her by suggesting she’d had a breakdown and didn’t want to appear on TV because she was sensitive about her weight.

Senator Payne has been on sick leave with a severe abdominal infection that required surgery.

Pyne has denied trying to undermine his colleague. Photo: AAP

“What I think is the sort of people who engage in that sort of behaviour should probably really look in the mirror,” Senator Payne told News Corp.

Senator Payne said she was now looking forward getting back to work.

Last week, her Canberra housemate and Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne angrily denied he was undermining his colleague.

Mr Pyne told Fairfax Media in Paris: “Whoever would be saying such a thing is a liar”.

With AAP