María Belén Chapur Photo Surfaces: Mark Sanford Seen With Mistress

A picture of former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) with his mistress -- now-girlfriend? -- has popped up on an Argentinian website.

As FITS News points out, the snapshot is apparently "the first known photo of the two of them together," though the report provides no account of when or where it was taken.

The website describes the woman, María Belén Chapur, as a beautiful 43-year-old brunette with a degree in political science.

In 2009, Sanford was forced to admit that while aides claimed he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail, he was actually in Argentina visiting a "dear, dear friend," with whom his relationship had recently become romantic.

Later that year, Sanford's wife, Jenny, filed for divorce.

Click here for the picture of Mark Sanford and María Belén Chapur together.

Comments

[Janis Moorhouse]

11:51 AM on 01/30/2011

He is a do-gooder on the left...who wasn't materialistic. He's a bad boy in the genre of Warren Beatty...who was a maverick, both are mavericks. If his hometown newspaper had not broken the story we never would have known, he'd still be married...alot less pain all around. Would you rather have Mitch McConnell who by the way has made 30 million since being in office...how exactly did he do that?

[linnwood]

09:42 AM on 01/29/2011

True love,give me a break....these two have had a ten year e mail affair, they have been together maybe six weekends in ten years.Easy to love someone when you don't really know them Add into the equation real life and real problems and see how long that love last.He and his wife loved each other when they married. After twenty years of raising four children,him being gone all of the time doing his thing ,cheating on her with other women besides his soulmate,love looks and smells different.Those things are missing in an e mail affair....True love ......don't think so........When they've lived together twenty years, really lived together ,we'll talk about true love.The kind of love his wife had for him.

[Rex Stark]

12:28 PM on 01/28/2011

So much for family values and all that stuff!

[Fightnmad]

10:39 PM on 01/27/2011

I don't know, people. After reading those steamy e-mails while he was still in office, I'd have to say this looks a lot like true love.

I am sorry that this caused so much pain for Jenny, still causes pain (recent photos of the two together), and the public disintegration of a family. There is no excuse for that, but sometimes, there is no rhyme or reason to love.

[Isthisalreadyinuse]

12:26 AM on 01/28/2011

Too bad. Married with a family and governor of a state...he doesn't have permission to jet off to Argentina, lie about it, and find his next true love. This coming from a husband and father that in good times and bad thinks he has a responsibility to avoid finding his next true love so long as he has a family today.

[apauline]

05:01 PM on 01/27/2011

Why is this news? This man is out of office, who cares who he is with and what they're doing. Surely, we have better things to discuss and debate other than this relationship.

Mr. Sanford, enjoy your life.................

[KarateKid]

04:50 PM on 01/27/2011

Well, since he's divorced, why do people refer to her as his mistress?

[Jimtoday]

04:47 PM on 01/27/2011

I meant "sacred", not "scared", but, oh well...

[Fightnmad]

10:31 PM on 01/27/2011

LOL! Now that was hilarious!!

[Jimtoday]

04:46 PM on 01/27/2011

Jesus wanted me to defile my scared Christian "One Man+ One Woman+ One Mistress" Marriage!

[edwcorey]

04:01 PM on 01/27/2011

So when does the made-for-television movie come out on Lifetime?

[real1234]

06:18 PM on 01/27/2011

This could be a real blockbuster. Love does really make fools out of people.

[Steele361]

02:06 PM on 01/27/2011

GOP conservative values at work. In ya face!

[Ipanemagirl]

01:55 PM on 01/27/2011

Is his affair still going on? Why doesn't he just move to Argentina and live off his girlfriend , and see how long the loooove lasts!

[CarolinaYankee]

01:55 PM on 01/27/2011

Who cares where and when it was taken, just as long as he was not here in South Carolina, we have enough to deal with now that his student Nikki Haley is in the Governors seat continuing his messed up policies and worse.

[Eric Shun]

05:26 PM on 01/27/2011

dont hold back now - tell us how you feel

[Dailyfare]

01:28 PM on 01/27/2011

Good for him! I wish them well.

[Chrystal Ji Davey]

12:50 PM on 01/27/2011

Well, there definitely have been worse scandals.
This is not truly article-worthy...

[toxicshock]

12:31 PM on 01/27/2011

Why is it that the republicans, so concerned about the sanctity of marriage, are always the ones having affairs? And yet it's the gays ruining it for everyone.