John Edwards hit cancer-stricken wife during heated fight

New York, Feb 4(ANI): Disgraced former US Presidential candidate John Edwards reportedly beat his cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth during a horrific marriage-ending fight.

According to reports, the couple's furious confrontation was the "final straw" in Elizabeth's decision to end their 32-year marriage after it was revealed that Edwards had fathered a child out of wedlock with his ex-mistress Rielle Hunter."John lost his temper big time. She has the divorce papers drawn up, but she can amend them to charge John with domestic violence," The New York Post quoted a close friend of Elizabeth, as saying.

Another friend revealed that Elizabeth sometimes also phycially attacked her husband when talking about his affair with Hunter.

"She was so tormented by John's cheating and lies that she lashed out physically at him many times, even slapping him. On a couple of occasions, when the fights became heated, she grabbed him by the shoulders and screamed, 'Why, why, why?'," the friend said.

"Elizabeth would break down in tears and try to make John explain why he was throwing his family and political life away. During one of the confrontations, Elizabeth grabbed his arms and shook him so hard that John had to restrain her," the friend added.

Earlier in 2006, Edwards admitted the affair with Hunter, but denied being the father of her child.

He acknowledged that he had been dishonest in denying the allegations, admitting that some of it was true, but said that the affair ended long before the time of the child's conception.

He further said he was willing to take a paternity test, but Hunter responded that she would not be party to a DNA test "now or in the future". (ANI)