Governor's wife granted divorce

By Anna Mitchell  

FEBRUARY 26, 2010 1:33 p.m. (0)

Although not final for another month, South Carolina is now without its First Lady.

After taking the stand this morning, Jenny Sanford, 48, was granted a divorce from her husband of 20 years during a hearing in Charleston County Family Court.

Sanford cited her husband’s public admission last summer that his lover – an Agentinian woman he met five years ago – was his soul mate. Shortly thereafter, the First Family took a trip to Europe. When they returned, Sanford moved herself and her four sons out of the Governor’s Mansion in Columbia and enrolled them in private schools near their family home at Sullivan’s Island.

Sanford’s bestselling account of their marriage – “Staying True” – was released earlier this month to mixed reviews in national publications. She has given interviews on major networks – often citing her husband’s legendary frugality and the odd perquisites of living in the mansion (inmates washed the family dog, she told John Stewart on “The Daily Show). Her most recent book signing was Feb. 16 at a Barnes and Noble in Columbia.

For his part, Gov. Mark Sanford had little to say about the end of his marriage. In a prepared statement this morning, he asked the media for privacy.”

“While our family structure may change, I know that we will both work earnestly to be the best mom and dad we can be to four of the finest boys on earth,” Sanford said.

Sanford said he had not hoped for or chosen divorce but “I want to take full responsibility for the moral failure that led us to this tragic point.”

He described his wife as a great person and remarkable wife, mother and First Lady.

“She has been more than gracious these last six months and gone above and beyond in her patience and commitment to put the needs of others in front of her own,” he said.

One of his wife’s last appearances at the Governor’s Mansion was Dec. 3 when she hosted a Christmas open house.

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