Original Air Date:
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Elizabeth Edwards' First Interview:
John and Elizabeth Edwards have been married since 1977 and have made it through true tests in their relationship, including the loss of their son Wade in 1996. Elizabeth asked John for just 1 thing when they married - that he remain faithful to her in their life together. The couple seemed very strong with their daughters Cate and Emma Claire and son, Jack as John moved into the political realm as a Senator, and later running for president in 2004, and as Elizabeth was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Elizabeth and John appeared to weather the storms together until it was revealed in 2006 that John had broken his promise and had an affair. Elizabeth writes about her journey in her new book Resilience and sat down with Oprah for her first interview to discuss her cancer and John's affair.
Elizabeth began by sharing how finding out about the affair made her physically ill in addition to screaming and crying on that very difficult night. John told Elizabeth that the other woman was just the one time, that she was out of his life and that he regretted his choices.
The Presidential Race:
Elizabeth revealed that she had asked John to drop out of the presidential race to protect their family, but John felt it would only draw more attention to them. While John continued campaigning, Elizabeth had to take a step back because it was too overwhelming and difficult for her to go on with her public appearances. The family tried to keep the affair from the media, but the news surfaced and John denied the accusations early on. John Edwards dropped out of the race in January of 2008 and months later admitted to his affair on Nightline.
The Entire Truth Revealed:
18 months after finding out about the affair, John finally admitted the full truth to Elizabeth - that the relationship with the other woman had actually lasted for months. The news came as a hard pill to swallow for Elizabeth since she and her husband had worked to start rebuilding their trust, only to have it destroyed again.
John shared with Elizabeth that he had met the other woman outside of a hotel when she said to him, "you are so hot." Elizabeth doesn't know why her husband said yes to the comment, but never would have suspected the behavior to come from him.
Like many women put in a cheating situation, Elizabeth did want to know details of the encounters to put a puzzle together of why John would have made the choices he did. The idea of John loving the other woman is not something that Elizabeth has ever considered, and she shared that he has really tried to figure out why he decided to cheat.
Cheating and Blame:
At first, Elizabeth said she thought she may have done something to cause the affair, but knows now that it had nothing to do with her, but was the choices of John and the other woman. Elizabeth eloquently expressed that women need to have more respect for one another and work to create a life of your own that you admire in others.
Is John Edwards the Father?:
In addition to dealing with the affair itself, Elizabeth also discovered that John may have fathered a baby with the other woman. Responding to Oprah's questions on the situation, Elizabeth shared that either way, it won't affect her life.
If a paternity test would reveal that John was the father, Elizabeth says that the child would then be a part of his life, but not a part of hers. Elizabeth stated that she does not think that John was in any way trying to start a family with this woman and she tried to not make herself miserable over something that doesn't matter in the larger picture of her life right now.
Making the Marriage Work:
Elizabeth and John are still working to rebuild their marriage, but Elizabeth expressed that she is no longer the woman she was before the affair, and neither is their relationship. Fairly confident before this event, Elizabeth questioned herself after the news, her looks, and personality and is working to rebuild that strength in herself.
Working on rebuilding the trust in their relationship, Elizabeth expressed that she would not let an affair define her marriage or family. The couple has been through so much together, she does not want to forget everything that was good about their life together.
While Elizabeth has moments when she wants to make the situation better for John as well, she also has been angry at him for is choices and takes their marriage a day at a time - staying because she wants to and loves her husband. In her book and in life, Elizabeth shared having to accept a new reality when change occurs in life.
The Family's Reaction:
John and Elizabeth's children Emma Claire, Jack and Cate are all aware of their father's actions, to different degrees with their ages, though he has assured them that the family is most important to him.
The Edwards children have more serious concerns in their life aside from their father's affair with having to cope with their mother's terminal cancer. Elizabeth is working hard to fight her disease, is receiving treatments and feeling well. After losing her son Wade, Elizabeth shared that death is not as scary to her, though she isn't completely free of fear.
Home Tour & John Edwards:
After finishing her sit down interview with Oprah, Elizabeth took cameras on a tour of her and John's dream home. On the tour, Oprah met with John in the indoor basketball court and asked him his thoughts on Elizabeth's book. John shared that he thought the book was honest and reflected Elizabeth's experience with his support. The interview ended with John expressing his love for his wife as Oprah shared that the couple's love for each other is the real deal.
