Rielle Hunter writes tell-all book about affair with John Edwards

WASHINGTON -- The trial of John Edwards is over, but the public soon will learn more details about his career-ending affair with Rielle Hunter.

Edwards’ former mistress has written a tell-all memoir, to be released June 26.

The book, “What Really Happened: John Edwards, Our Daughter, and Me,” details Hunter’s affair with the former presidential candidate during the 2008 contest that led to an out-of-wedlock birth, campaign finance fraud charges and a high-profile trial.

“The book is a memoir about Ms. Hunter’s life, her relationship with John Edwards and their daughter,” Hunter’s spokeswoman, RoseMarie Terenzio, said Saturday. Hunter had no further comment, Terenzio said.

The book is being released by BenBella Books, said Jennifer Canzoneri, a spokeswoman for the boutique publisher.

The book’s release was first reported by People magazine. “A lot has been said. But no one has heard the truth of what really happened until now,” Glenn Yeffeth, publisher of BenBella Books, told the magazine.

Hunter has not spoken much about the affair in which Edwards fathered a daughter, Frances Quinn Hunter. Edwards at first denied he was the father of the child.

Rielle Hunter gave an interview to GQ magazine in 2010 in which she said she did not want to capitalize on the affair to make money.

“I could have cashed out big. But that’s not what I’m about,” she told the magazine, adding that she was not paid for the interview. “I love Johnny and I love my daughter more than anything in the world, and I don’t want to ever do anything to hurt them or hurt their relationship.”

On Thursday, a North Carolina jury found Edwards not guilty on one of the campaign finance fraud charges, and deadlocked on the others, leading the judge to declare a mistrial. Legal experts said a retrial is unlikely.

After the trial Edwards told reporters that, “While I do not believe I ever did anything illegal … I’ve done an awful, awful lot that was wrong.” He also expressed his love for his daughter with Hunter, calling the child, “my precious Quinn.”

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