Rielle Hunter is back in the spotlight with her new memoir, offering a window into her relationship with two-time presidential candidate John Edwards.
In What Really Happened: John Edwards, Our Daughter and Me, Hunter details how her relationship with Edwards began and also has harsh words for the former senator's late wife, Elizabeth Edwards, who passed away in 2010 after a years-long battle with cancer.
"I feel for both my daughter and for all the kids involved, the full truth needs to be in the public domain," Hunter said in a recent interview with ABC's 20/20. "Their father's not a demon and their mother's not a saint. And I'm not a home wrecker. We're real human beings. And there is a real dynamic that was going on, good and bad. And we all made mistakes."
Hunter says she is no longer involved with Edwards.
Below, a look at the most intriguing revelations from Hunter's book.
Made-Up Mistresses?
Hunter claims that Edwards told her that he had other mistresses when they first met in 2006. <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rielle-hunter-memoir-happened-reveals-john-edwards-affair/story?id=16589982#.T-CSPStYtZG" target="_hplink">According</a> to ABC News, she says that Edwards indicated the three women he was involved with were in Chicago, Los Angeles and Florida. Hunter writes that later in their relationship, Edwards came clean and told her that the accounts of being involved with other women were made up. <em>(Photo credit: Getty Images)</em>
She's A 'Witch On Wheels'
Reuters <a href="http://sg.news.yahoo.com/mistress-tells-her-side-john-edwards-affair-book-175527464.html" target="_hplink">reports</a>: <blockquote>Hunter blames Elizabeth Edwards for driving John Edwards to cheat. She describes Elizabeth Edwards in unflattering terms, calling her "crazy," "venomous," and a "witch on wheels." </blockquote> In a 2010 <a href="http://www.gq.com/news-politics/politics/201004/rielle-hunter-john-edwards-exclusive-interview?printable=true" target="_hplink">interview</a> with GQ, Hunter <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/15/rielle-hunters-gq-intervi_n_499200.html" target="_hplink">said</a>: <blockquote>"And I believe what happened in his marriage is, he could not go to his wife and say, 'We have an issue.' Because he would be pummeled. So he had a huge fear. Most of his mistakes or errors in judgment were because of his fear of the wrath of Elizabeth. He's allowed himself to be pushed into a lot of things that he wouldn't normally do because of Elizabeth's story line. And the spin that she wants to put out there. He was emasculated. And you know, the wrath of Elizabeth is a mighty wrath."</blockquote> <em>(Photo credit: AP)</em>
'You're So Hot'
Hunter <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rielle-hunter-memoir-happened-reveals-john-edwards-affair/story?id=16589982#.T-CVtitYtZH" target="_hplink">recalls</a> telling Edwards "You're so hot," on the night they met. In a 2010 <a href="http://www.gq.com/news-politics/politics/201004/rielle-hunter-john-edwards-exclusive-interview?printable=true" target="_hplink">interview</a> with GQ, Hunter reflected on falling "head over heels in love" with the former senator. <em>(Photo credit: AP)</em>
Prison Predictions
The AP <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/17/rielle-hunter-memoir_n_1604239.html" target="_hplink">reports</a> on an exchange Hunter claims she had with Edwards over the phone: <blockquote>When John Edwards faced the prospect of an indictment that could put him behind bars, he calmly told his mistress he would probably wind up in a low-security prison in Virginia more like a country club than a jail. She quickly told him she and their daughter would move there to be near him if that happened. ... The book also provides a window into Edwards' psyche as federal prosecutors began their case against him. Days before his indictment Hunter asked: "So if you went to jail, what kind of jail would it be? One of those country clubs?" "He said, 'Yeah.'" "'Where?'" she asked. "'Probably Virginia.'" "So Quinn and I will move to Virginia. Virginia is a great state." The only low-security federal prison in Virginia is in Petersburg, where former Washington, D.C., mayor Marion Barry once served time.</blockquote> <em>(Photo credit: AP)</em>
'Not A Home Wrecker'
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/22/rielle-hunter-2020-interview_n_1618381.html" target="_hplink">According to Hunter</a>, John Edwards' marriage to the late Elizabeth Edwards was damaged before she entered the picture. <blockquote>"Their marriage was ruined before I got there," she told ABC's 20/20. "Years before I got there." Reflecting on public perception that John and Elizabeth Edwards had a healthy marriage, she added, "I was disgusted with myself for being in love with a man who was going on national TV with his wife -- and lying." ... Hunter told 20/20, "I feel for both my daughter and for all the kids involved, the full truth needs to be in the public domain." She added, "Their father's not a demon and their mother's not a saint. And I'm not a home wrecker. We're real human beings. And there is a real dynamic that was going on, good and bad. And we all made mistakes."</blockquote>
'Like A Pair Of Teenagers'
People.com <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20604976,00.html" target="_hplink">reports</a> that Hunter reflects on the beginning of her affair with Edwards. "We were like a pair of teenagers," she writes, adding, "completely attached."
Reaction To Pregnancy
On <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/23/rielle-hunter_n_1621386.html" target="_hplink">news</a> of her pregnancy... <blockquote>John Edwards' former mistress Rielle Hunter said she was "surprised" when she learned she was pregnant. The former Democratic presidential hopeful, according to Hunter, had a different reaction. "[He was] gracious," Hunter <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/rielle-hunter-happened-16633217" target="_hplink">said</a>. "He was kinder and more gentle than I thought he would be." Hunter opened up about her pregnancy and other aspects of her scandalous relationship with Edwards in an <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rielle-hunter-edwards-affair-believed/story?id=16622733#.T-YZlytYsww" target="_hplink">interview</a> with ABC's 20/20. When host Chris Cuomo asked if she thought Edwards hinted "don't have this baby, please," Hunter said, "yes and no." "I think that he thought the timing was terrible," Hunter said.</blockquote>
'A Great Dad,' When He's There
The AP <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/17/rielle-hunter-memoir_n_1604239.html" target="_hplink">reports</a>: <blockquote>Hunter writes that Edwards is a doting father when he's around their daughter but that his obligations to his other children curtail their time together. The book features several pictures of the father and daughter together, smiling. Immediately after his trial, Edwards said during a news conference - with his adult daughter, Cate, by his side - that he loved Quinn "more than any of you can ever imagine." Quinn is now 4 and lives with Hunter in Charlotte. "He is a great dad to her when he is with her," Hunter writes.</blockquote> <em>(AP image)</em>
'The Thing I Regret The Most'
Reuters <a href="http://sg.news.yahoo.com/mistress-tells-her-side-john-edwards-affair-book-175527464.html" target="_hplink">reports</a>: <blockquote>Hunter said she regretted allowing John Edwards' political aide, Andrew Young, to publicly claim paternity for the daughter Edwards had fathered. "Of all the things that happened in my relationship with Johnny the thing that I regret the most is going along with this stupid idea and allowing this lie to go public," Hunter wrote, according to ABC News.</blockquote> <em>(Photo credit: AP)</em>
'Still Together' (Or Not)
Ahead of the release of her book, Hunter <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20605772,00.html" target="_hplink">said</a> of Edwards to People.com, "We're still together as a couple." As for whether she expects to marry the former senator, Hunter added, "I'm not a big fan of the institution but never say never." On the heels of making the remarks, Hunter <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/26/rielle-hunter-john-edwards_n_1626983.html" target="_hplink">signaled</a> the pair are no longer together. <em>(Photo credit: AP)</em>
Posted: 06/26/2012 9:18 am