CHICAGO - The wife of U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. said she and her husband have undergone marital counseling and spiritual therapy since he told her nearly two years ago of an extramarital affair.
"He said it was over. I was mortified and in agony, but he knew if I found out any other way, it would be over, that the only way to save our marriage was to come clean," Sandi Jackson said in Sunday's Chicago Sun-Times.
"There were sleepless nights, and I started losing hair, and I told him I would only consider staying if we got into therapy."
She said she immediately questioned herself and whether it was her fault, but she never wanted details. When word of the affair became public last week, she said it was like opening the wound again.
Jesse Jackson Jr., a Democrat, has been dogged by corruption allegations in connection with former Gov. Rod Blagojevich since December 2008, shortly after Blagojevich was arrested.
People are also reading…
Last week, more allegations surfaced that Jackson told a businessman to offer Blagojevich $6 million in exchange for an appointment to President Obama's former U.S. Senate seat.
The businessman also told the FBI he bought plane tickets for a woman identified as a "social acquaintance" of Jackson's.
Jackson, who has not been charged with a crime, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in connection with Blagojevich.
He didn't, however, deny allegations of an affair with the "social acquaintance" and called it a "personal matter between me and my wife that was handled some time ago."
Messages left for Jackson on Sunday by The Associated Press weren't immediately returned.
In the interview, Sandi Jackson acknowledged empathy for her husband, who she said "has been quiet, withdrawn and concerned."
"It's been surreal. I feel bad for Jesse, because he is living this thing all over again. He is remorseful over this firestorm he's created around us," she said.
The Jacksons have been married since 1991 and have two children.
New Tucson lounge to embrace dark and cozy
