Elizabeth Edwards on John's affair: I threw up

The memoir of Elizabeth Edwards, cancer survivor and wife of former presidential candidate John Edwards, hits bookstores May 12. "Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities," is billed by publisher Broadway Books as "an unsentimental and ultimately inspirational meditation on the gifts we can find among life’s biggest challenges."

One of those challenges was dealing with her husband's admission of carrying on an affair. Elizabeth Edwards took the news hard; according to the New York Daily News, which has acquired an advance copy of the book, she writes:

"I cried and screamed, I went to the bathroom and threw up."

The Daily News has more details from the book:

Hunter initially seduced Edwards using a worn come-on line, Elizabeth writes:

"You are so hot," Hunter told him outside a swank New York hotel. The campaign ultimately paid Hunter $114,000 to produce a batch of short films on his candidacy.

She lashes out at Hunter, now 45, whose name she never actually uses in the book, as a parasitic groupie who invaded the Edwardses' life.

Her own life may be tragic, she concludes, but Hunter's is "pathetic."

Even when Edwards confessed to his wife, he lied, claiming he had slipped up just once, Elizabeth writes. His original version of the story "left most of the truth out," she writes.

But despite their difficulties, Elizabeth and John have remained together, and she is comforted when, "I lie in bed, circles under my eyes, my sparse hair sticking in too many directions, and he looks at me as if I am the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. It matters."

Edwards' new book is a follow-up to her bestselling memoir "Saving Graces."

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: John and Elizabeth Edwards during the 2008 presidential campaign. Credit: Chris Hondros / Getty Images

Comments

[samt2]

elizabeth edwards makes me want to throw up...Dishonest pathetic loser politician wife is all she is....

[Solomon]

With so many hypocrites among public figures over the years, who are you writing these stories for? Is this what sells a paper? What kind of loser one needs to be to want their dirty laundry? And what's the point of all this pathetic nonsense - a worn out wife of a worn out politician milking out a worn out story? Puhleeeeze!

[MexiChick]

Now why is she blaming the other woman? She didn't break her marriage vows? Also, why the book? There are things that should probably remain behind closed doors. She should enjoy the last few days she has w/ her children and the 'marriage'.

[Queasy]

Slime doggy - that's all I got to say about John Edwards.

This was way more information than I needed.

[David Selzer]

Why so critical of Elizabeth? What do you want from her? We don't need to know the intimate details to understand that each of the three people involved were acting on human instincts, needs, desires and wants.

The amazing thing to me, as it does regarding Bill Clinton,Jim Bakker, and countless other politicians, religious figures and misbehaving know-it-alls in general, is why they put so much at risk for so little.

[jb]

Anything for a buck.........excuse me.....I have to go throw up......both pathetic losers...

[Stacy R]

I hope she is making him pay daily for being such a schmuck. He can't leave her even if he wanted to and as sick as it seems I hate to imagine that the "other" woman is thinking that upon Elizabeth's death her child gets a father. Very very pathetic for all of them.

[oni]

Elisabeth Edwards has endured humiliation on top of
life threatening concern due to illness. Maybe she is writing this book as catharsis and because they need the money--the same reason why many people write books.

[ohmygosh]

I find it completely disgusting that anyone could blame Elizabeth in any way for her husband's crazed narcissism! Those who are so ethically bankrupt as to be such sociopaths, deserve to have their loved ones betray them in public as well - at least. Shame on all of you, the guy not only was a huge poser/lyer but his wife has cancer!

[wendy]

It may just be Elizabeth Edwards' need to spread the blame around but really, she makes John Edwards sound like Little Red Riding Hood set upon by the Big Bad Wolf. As Elizabeth tells the story, John is almost blameless -- the innocent victim of a predator. If this is how the thinking runs in that family, and how responsibility is assumed, we're fortunate he didn't get further as a national candidate.

[MIGUEL]

Yeah! I really feel bad too. And my personal experience is so bad I want to write a book about it because it's such a personal story ... so I can share my intimate bathroom moments with the whole world ... and ... ... uh! .... I might get a few million bucks out of it ... Hey! wait a minute ... isn't exploiting human emotion and trust exactly what poor, tortued Elizabeth is attempting to quash? Hummm! Hypocricy rears its ugly head in so many disguises!

[Alice W]

"samt2" comment at April 30, 2009 at 10:33 AM makes me want to throw up. A cheap pathetic low life internet troll

[Is there a need to be nasty]

Maybe she wrote it so people in any one of the 3 positions might learn something? Maybe she talks about forgiveness and compassion to get people, perhaps like those who left some fairly nasty comments here to think about their own?
Who knows and why does anyone buy any book or publication from the National Enquirer to the Wall Street Journal? Why does anyone write any sort of book.
Maybe we have become a nation of selfish opinionates about anything, everything or everybody, except ourselves. Maybe our opinions or thoughts are as meaningless as we suggest others are. Maybe our lives are too.

[Jonothen]

Why is it always the other woman,s fault, he was the married one, give me a break....
Elizabeth needs to face it, John is the one who screwed up, and yes the other woman needs glasses, if she thinks John Edwards is hot, he is a player lets face it, and probably has been for years, only happened to get caught this time..

[SHAMEFUL]

The first comment took my breath away. The person who wrote that and anyone who would dare to blame Elizabeth for anything is seriously deranged and incredibly evil.

[J.D.]

Its their lives, how they choose to live it is for them to decide. Why do so many of you pathetic posters feel the need to spill you bile on her? If you don't think her story is worth reading, then why did you read the article? As for her perspective, she's entitled to any view she pleases....its protected under a the conventions of a document known as the US Constitution. If you want to label someone a hypocrite...simply look in a mirror.

[Lorraine]

Ah, Elizabeth Edwards - I threw up reading this. Was this personally "cathartic" of you to throw Ms. Hunter under the bus while treating your husband as though he were God or whatever. I mean - "whatever", hon. Better left unwritten is all I can say. And you with young daughters to mentor to - could you not have just said NOTHING and better honored what should be healthier relationships than your embracing of John's Edwards no matter what. Naming Riellle Hunter and calling HER "pathetic" when your active participation in covering up this relationship so your husband could (hopefully so you deludedly believed) get elected President of the United States - ick, Mrs. Edwards - icky and pathetic of YOU. The publisher of this book should be ashamed? Really hon....

[Julisus Greenfield]

This speaks to just how debaunched our political system is. I feel somewhat sorry for this idiot commie woman. She marries a pretty boy ambulance chaser and then gets played by some blonde bimbo.

THis is NOT his first affair and it will not be his last. Wake up lady and sue this loser for all he's worth. Its a real drag to be from the south and have these pathetic excuses for human beings paraded around as an example of the bimbo/'cousin screwing idiots we all are.suppossed to be.

[Peaches]

Elizabeth writes..."He looks at me as if I am the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.".. I wonder if she's considered that those loving looks are lies as well.

I do have great sympathy for Mrs. Edwards - a mother sick with cancer - a public woman with a cheating, lying husband. So, I can cut her some slack if she (mis-guidedly) blames the other woman. It's John who should take all the heat - although he didn't even as he was "coming clean" about the affair.

And, here's what really bugs me about him - I once thought he was an honest politician. Yeah, I know..what was I thinking. Ann Coulter (someone who's opinions and ideas I really despise) called him a "phony" a long time ago. Unfortunately, she was right.

[nat turner]

She knew he was a cheating dog but campaigned for him . Couple of real gems .

[bruce]

i have no sympathy for her. she gave him cover and tried to protect his brand for as long as she could, and now she is literally trying to sell her vomit to the american public. ka-ching!

[Jabli Izvesti]

"He looks at me as if I am the most beautiful...".Edwards is an adept at that sort of thing.But for Obama he would have mesmerized the American voters too with his histrionic talent.Don't write off this guy.He is a tough hombre.

[Chang]

John Edwards has yet to come forward and produce a paternity test to verify his claim that the supposed "love child" is not his. (For the record at least, even though all of us know the obvious truth.)
Just looking at John's smiling face makes ME want to throw up.

[sher]

Makes me wonder what the "real" purpose of her book is, and who she knows at the Times to get this free promo. Sounds like her husband is once again going to try for some sort of political office and needed his co-dependent wife to smooth the way for that. This guy is shameful; but then his wife is just nothing more than Hillary Clinton #2.

[cnmhouston]

Hunter is pathetic??? I think this woman is confused. John Edwards knew full well he was cheating on his wife, and he made that choice. That's pathetic. John Edwards suffered under the Bush administration just like the rest of us. He could have derailed the Democratic campaign with his tired, wrinkly, middle-aged affair --- and he felt that the gamble was worth it. That's pathetic. Elizabeth Edwards absolves her husband and pins blame on the evil she-demon that lured her helpless man (who has no free will or decision-making ability) away --- any other interpretation would require her to leave her sad marriage. Deluding one's self so that one can stay in a crappy marriage. That 's pathetic.