Gillard's fall from grace: The moment Australian PM took a tumble after laying a wreath at Gandhi's grave

It is one of those moments all politicians dread - a lack of support that leads to a political fall from grace.
This time it was Australia's prime minister, Julia Gillard, who discovered she was not infallible when she slipped on her heel as she walked away from the cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi.
The prime minister, currently on a state visit to New Dehli, stepped from a footpath on to wet grass - and her heel snagged, sending her tumbling to a fall in a political blooper caught on camera.

All bodes well for Ms Gillard after she finishes laying a wreath at Mahatma Gandhi's cremation site

Whoops! Ms Gillard is brought to heel as her shoes prove no match for the grass

She may be able to hold her head high against political opposition, but Ms Gillard succumbs to gravity like anyone else

'It's ok, it's ok', Ms Gillard can be heard saying as recovers from her dive

The politician lies on the ground, taken aback by her quick fall, as her associates move in to help

The prime minister was left lying face-flat in the grass as her team hurried to help her back to her feet.
The offending shoe could be seen behind her, innocently unaware of the trouble it had caused the PM by withdrawing its support.

Later, Ms Gillard laughed off the incident, and gave men gathered at a press conference a quick lesson in the complexities of female footwear.
'For men who get to wear flat shoes all day every day, if you wear a heel it can get embedded in soft grass,' she said.
'And then when you pull your foot out, the shoe doesn't come, and then the rest of it is as you saw.'
The prime minister is holding talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his ministers during her visit.

Rescued! The red-faced Prime Minister is lifted back up by a companion

As advisers gather around, the offending heel that brought down a minister can be seen behind her

Carry on minister: The coterie continues its walk, hoping to put the small slip-up behind them

Getting it right: Gillard inspects a guard of honour at the presidential palace at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi, without any political fall-out

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh shakes hands with Julia Gillard at the presidential palace