Friday, Nov. 13, 2009

First lady on Walters' 'most fascinating' list

Barbara Walters will interview S.C. first lady Jenny Sanford early next month as part of the buildup for the April release of Sanford's memoir.

The interview will air at 10 p.m. Dec. 9 on ABC on "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009."

Sanford, who played a key role in her husband's runs for Congress and governor, is expected to discuss the challenges brought by her husband's five-day disappearance in June and his later admission to an affair with an Argentine woman, ABC said.

The first lady has been praised by some for her unwillingness to stick by her husband, choosing instead to focus on her children.

In August, Jenny Sanford and the couple's four sons moved out of the Governor's Mansion in Columbia and into the family's beach house on Sullivan's Island, saying, in part, her family needed privacy from the media spotlight.

Jenny Sanford, who has also spoken about the affair to Vogue magazine, has said she is open to forgiving her husband but the ball is in his court to make amends.

Walters also will broadcast a longer interview with Sanford in April to coincide with the release of her book.

- Staff Reports

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