Rielle Hunter is sorry for John Edwards affair — very, very sorry

October 15, 2013|By Christie D'Zurilla

(Tasos Katopodis / Getty…)

Rielle Hunter is sorry. Very, very sorry. Extremely, lots of, super sorry. And then some.

Because that's how sorry you have to be when it's years after the fact?

Hunter, infamous for her affair with then-presidential hopeful John Edwards, an affair that started in 2006 and was uncovered in 2007, has a book coming out, "In Hindsight, What Really Happened: The Revised Edition: John Edwards, Our Daughter and Me." To mark the occasion she wrote an essay for Huffington Post admitting her regrets. If the title of the "new" book sounds familiar, it's because it echoes that of her 2012 offering, minus "The Revised Edition."

If it doesn't sound familiar, don't worry, 'cause the original book is going for $1.77 online new, and a penny used.

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"My publisher came up with the idea of me going through my book and annotating all of my regrets and mistakes," she says in the essay. "I liked that idea. I thought it was innovative and interesting, but of course the actual execution of that idea turned out to be excruciating. Owning your past mistakes is no day at the beach but I do believe it is an important endeavor to undertake."

Hence the apologies to the late Elizabeth Edwards, the Edwards children, the extended family on both sides, any fans of Elizabeth, and anyone who donated money to the Edwards campaign.

"[I]nstead of apologizing when I should have, I went on to hurt more people by writing a book. 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."

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In her defense, Hunter reveals that she was the product of a family broken by infidelity and name-checks the media and world for attacking her at the time the affair went public.

Nevertheless, she writes, "I behaved badly. 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."

Do you think Rielle's apology is sincere? Tell us in comments.

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