Rielle Hunter has apologized for having an affair with former Senator and Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.
Hunter, who has a new edition of her book coming out, wrote an essay for The Huffington Post titled “I, Rielle Hunter, Apologize.” In the essay, she acknowledges that she “behaved badly,” writing, “That may seem obvious to you but it's taken me a long time to admit that, even to myself. For years I was so viciously attacked by the media and the world that I felt like a victim. I now realize that the attacks are actually beside the point. The point is: I behaved badly.”
“I am very sorry for my wrong, selfish behavior,” she continued, noting that she only thought of herself in 2006, when she and Edwards had the affair. “Back in 2006, I did not think about the scope of my actions, how my falling in love with John Edwards, and acting on that love, could hurt so many people,” she claims, noting that she hurt Edwards wife, the late Elizabeth Edwards, and their children.
Instead of apologizing at the time, Hunter decided to write a book, another decision she apologized for. “I truly did not realize at that time how damaged I was and because of that, when I wrote my book I made more mistakes, ones I feel horrible about,” she wrote.
She explained that her publisher recently asked if she would be interested in releasing a new addition with annotations on her mistakes. “Owning your past mistakes is no day at the beach but I do believe it is an important endeavor to undertake.”
Hunter’s new book, In Hindsight, What Really Happened: The Revised Edition: John Edwards, Our Daughter and Me, was released today.
Hunter last spoke publicly during an appearance on Good Morning America in June 2012. “We are a family, but as of the end of last week, John Edwards and I are no longer a couple,” she said at the time, noting that she still loves him.
Hunter and Edwards are the parents of Quinn, now 5. As USA Today notes, Edwards was indicted in charges of using campaign funds to hide their affair, but he was found not guilty on one count and a mistrial was declared on five other counts.
image: Amazon