May 7, 2009

Contact: Anna Christopher, NPR Emerson Brown, NPR

ELIZABETH EDWARDS SHARES REACTION TO HER HUSBAND’S AFFAIR, TELLS NPR NEWS “He just failed in his responsibilities to me."

INTERVIEW AIRING TODAY ON ALL THINGS CONSIDERED EXCERPTS BELOW; AUDIO AVAILABLE AT www.NPR.org



May 7, 2009; Washington, D.C. – In an interview airing today on NPR News’ All Things Considered, Elizabeth Edwards speaks about her husband’s infidelity, telling host Michele Norris “[John Edwards' public persona] was really on the right track in terms of our responsibilities to one another. He just failed in his responsibilities to me.”

The entire interview is airing tonight on NPR News’ All Things Considered, and will be available online at: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103895496 A complete transcript is available upon request; all excerpts must be credited to NPR News All Things Considered. For local stations and broadcast times, visit www.NPR.org/stations

In the interview, Edwards tells NPR News of her initial knowledge of the affair: "John started out by not telling the whole story. He told a very abbreviated story, which allowed me to move through my life.”

Addressing appearances with her husband on the campaign trail during his last run for president, Edwards says, "I was hesitant about how I was supposed to go out and talk about him, but honestly, the policies he talked about were, in my view, so far superior to what other people were talking about.”

She recounts finding out the full scope of the ongoing affair: "One day we sat down in the living room and we went through it. ...It was really, really hard to hear, but we couldn't have moved forward in any way…"

Edwards also provides an update on her battle with cancer, saying "I've had reports that have encouraged me, and reports that have discouraged me, but the most recent reports have been encouraging, so I'll just hang on to those."

All Things Considered, NPR's signature afternoon newsmagazine, is hosted by Melissa Block, Michele Norris, and Robert Siegel and reaches more than 13 million listeners weekly. To find local stations and broadcast times, visit www.NPR.org