Argentine mistress of Governor Sanford admits being woman in his life

New York, June 30 (ANI): The Argentine mistress of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, Maria Belen Chapur, has admitted that she was the woman who drew the rising GOP star away from the country for six days earlier this month.

Aides to the Republican governor had explained his absence by saying that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail.

She issued a short statement to Buenos Aires' C5N TV station, tacitly admitting to the affair.

"Of my private life I won't speak, not now or in the future. It's been made public enough already, a fact that causes me terrible discomfort," the statement said.

Chapur, a 41-year-old mother of two, said she had firm suspicions of who hacked into her e-mail and leaked steamy exchanges between her and the governor, who had been a rising star in the GOP.

The State newspaper of Columbia, S.C., obtained the e-mails in December, the Daily News reports.

"Since I don't have sufficient proof and live in a state of law, I'm obligated to keep their identity anonymous. I am not the judge of anyone; I leave all that in the hands of God," Chapur's statement said.

Sanford's e-mails to Chapur have fascinated both hopeless romantics and serious politicos alike.

If reports are to be believed, the emails are colorful, descriptive, and unabashedly romantic, at times to the point of being schmaltzy and embarrassing.

"Do you really comprehend how beautiful your smile is? Have you been told lately how warm your eyes are and how they softly glow with the special nature of your soul?" the Politico quoted Sanford as having written.

In between the mushy parts, the two of them write about everyday events.

While Maria talks about taking a lazy day trip and reading an Alan Greenspan book, Sanford writes about meetings in New York, the National Governor's Conference and an invitational with then-presidential candidate Senator John McCain.

According to reports, the letters give the impression that Sanford was a real romantic with a knack for writing.

"The most cherished gift a lover can give and receive is a love letter from the heart," says romance coach Leslie Karsner, who sells prewritten love letters through a website called 'Love Letters Now'. (ANI)