Disgraced former presidential hopeful John Edwards and his wife of more than 30 years, Elizabeth, have separated.
A spokesperson for Elizabeth — who is battling terminal breast cancer — says the mother of four is “moving on with her life and wants to put this difficult chapter behind her.”
“She’s doing as well as you could expect,” Elizabeth’s sister, Nancy Anania, remarked to The Associated Press this afternoon. “I’m really proud of her that, somehow, she’s got strength that you rarely see in a person.”
The former North Carolina senator says he is “extraordinarily saddened” over the split.
“It is an extraordinarily sad moment, but I love my children more than anything and still care deeply about Elizabeth,” Edwards told The AP Wednesday.
The couple’s separation comes less than a week after John Edwards confirmed he was the father of his former mistress’ 2-year-old daughter.
In Elizabeth’s memoir Resilience, she revealed that her husband first told her about his affair with presidential campaign videographer, Rielle Hunter, in 2006.
John and Elizabeth have four children together — their olddest son Wade died in a car accident in 1996.