(CNN) - Rielle Hunter said Tuesday that she and John Edwards, the former presidential candidate who fathered her child in an extramarital affair, have gone their separate ways.
"We are a family, but as of the end of last week, John Edwards and I are no longer a couple," Hunter said on ABC's "Good Morning America."
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Her announcement comes the same day she launches her tell-all book about the relationship, 'What Really Happened: John Edwards, Our Daughter, and Me."
It also comes nearly two weeks following the Justice Department's decision to drop the remaining charges against Edwards over allegedly violating campaign finance laws to cover up the affair. The Justice Department decision came after Edwards' corruption trial ended in an acquittal and mistrial last month.
In August 2008, Edwards admitted to an affair with Hunter, a onetime videographer for his Democratic presidential bid. At the time, the former North Carolina senator denied paternity of the daughter she had given birth to six months earlier.
While Edwards and Hunter were seen together in a series of beach photos last week, Hunter said their relationship had now fallen apart–a decision she described as mutual.
"For my part in it, it's because I'm no longer interested in hiding, hiding our relationship, not living out in the–"she said, stopping herself. Saying the couple "had a lot of media scrutiny," Hunter added their situation was "complicated."
"It's hard, and it wears you down after a while," she said.
While she regrets "many things" in their romance, she argued she does "not regret loving him."
"We have lots of things to figure out," she said, referring to their four-year-old daughter, Quinn.
Responding to intense criticism over her new book, Hunter defended her decision to release the title and insisted she wanted to come out with her side of the story.
"There's so much misinformation and distortion and spin about this story, and people form opinions without knowing what really happened," she said.
- CNN's Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
One of the best decision that Edwards has made in years. This big mouth gold digger needed to be kicked off her high horse, bad mouthing a person not alive today to dispute her claims. Hunter was just a little quicky mistake for John Edwards which has ruined so many lives.
Yawnnnnn...... now on with the news!
Soledad O"Brien needs to give the immigration issue a rest. She lacks any sort of objectivity, attacks interviewees who disagree with her, and offers no solutions to this problem.
WHO CARES? You & Edwards are as popular as a needle in my eye.
@Ginny71
If you don't like it, then turn back to the channel you always watch that everyone on it lacks objectivity, disagreement and offers no solution to any problem and share the propensity of hate.
Finally a good move John and one I agree with 😉
Translation – she took him for what she could and dumped him when it was convenient.
"There's so much misinformation and distortion and spin about this story, and people form opinions without knowing what really happened," she said.
What we do know is that she 1) slept with another woman's husband, 2) had a baby with another woman's husband, 3) wrote a "tell-all" where she had the nerve to call the wife of her boyfriend bad names, and 4) took money to keep quiet about the affair behind her boyfriend's wife's back.
Hunter, you are wrong on soooo many levels. Regardless of what I think of Elizabeth Edwards, you are the bottom of the barrel, honey. I am glad Johnny-boy dropped you. I just hate you brought an innocent life into your melodrama.
Btw, I will NOT be reading your filthy book.
Rielle Hunter, your 15 minutes of fame are now OVER!!!
So what else is new . . . . it was just an "affair"! And what an affair it was. It ruined the married life of John Edwards, changed his relationship with his children he fathered with Elizabeth Edwards, most likely helped cause the death of Elizabeth Edwards, and left his daughter he fathered with this woman, to grow up without her real father in her family. And so . . . . . . . it was just an "affair"!!!! Shameful behavior on the part of this woman AND John Edwards!!!
That's too bad because I think John and Rielle deserve each other.
She took the money and is running .
Rielle Hunter needs to understand what the term family means.
I'm totally shocked it didn't work out.
Well, thank goodness. Now he can go do what "what God has planned for him," and chase some more skirts, and she can go sell her books, if anybody is even interested in this sordid story. I just hope little Quinn doesn't suffer too badly because of two idiot adults who ruined many lives due to their stupid choices.
awww, guess the "princess" doesn't get to move into Elizabeth's house or take over Elizabeth's family. I read the article about her in People and really can't believe this woman! Now maybe she'll make John's life as miserable as she made Elizabeth's, right to his dying day.
The golddigger speaks. This woman has no shame. I agree with the nerve of her talking about a dead woman who can not defend herself. You can not get any lower than this woman.
America Yawns
Remind me again: Reille Hunter... is she Octomom? Or am I thinking of someone else?
How long will it be before there is some lame reality show on A&E featuring this woman?
Not surprised at all!
If he was not faithful to his wife, why would he be faithful to his mistress?
and why would anyone want to buy her book? We already know what happened!!
Why would anyone be interested in these two–their past, present, or future?
Home wrecker especially when the Edwards wife was very sick.
No shame between both of them. Can you say Child Support? I would guess in the 6 figures area.
Both are scumbags, hope everyone remembers how this man can lie with a straight face, she too is a storyteller and both think they are Gods gift to us all, he will have the nerve to try and run for public office again and try to convince everyone he is doing if because he has a calling and we need him, like a case of the crabs
darn... and he would have made such a fine democrat president or vp. he's still less sleazy and corrupt than obama.