Northern Ireland's first minister Peter Robinson has admitted that his wife tried to commit suicide after she had an affair, in an emotional confession on television.
Fighting back tears, Robinson laid bare the turmoil at the heart of his 40-year marriage to fellow lawmaker Iris Robinson, but vowed to stay on as leader and work to rebuild his marriage.
Sitting in the study of his home, Robinson, looking gaunt and fighting to control his voice, revealed he first discovered Iris had the affair in March last year -- the night she tried to take her own life.
"Each single night since then, I have asked for the strength to carry this burden," he told television cameras on Wednesday, his eyes welling up.
"I admit that my immediate impulse was to walk away from my marriage. I felt betrayed after almost 40 years of being happily and closely bonded together."
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But he insisted he would be back at his desk in Belfast on Thursday and would stay on as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party going into this year's general election. "I'm determined to try to put this issue behind me.
It is my intention to be at my desk tomorrow morning, to continue the work that the people of Northern Ireland have entrusted to me," he said.
"I love my wife. I have always been faithful to her. In a spirit of humility and repentance, Iris sought my forgiveness," he also said.
"She took responsibility upon herself alone for her actions and I have forgiven her."
The personal admission will rock Northern Irish politics and send shockwaves across the province, where the couple's marriage was viewed as rock-solid.
Iris Robinson, 60, released her own statement, admitting the brief affair and her suicide attempt, which she said "devastated my life, and the lives of those around me".
"I fought with those I loved most, my children and friends; saw plots where none existed and conducted myself in a manner which was self-destructive and out of character," she said.
Speculation had been growing about the couple's relationship since she announced on December 28 she was quitting politics, citing a battle with depression.
She decided to step down as a member of Britain's parliament at the next election for the Democratic Unionist Party and member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
