Former US President Bill Clinton has opened up about his notorious affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky in a brand new documentary about the life of Hillary Clinton.
The four-part Hulu documentary – entitled Hillary – explores various points in the career of the former First Lady, from her student days to her shock defeat by Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential election.
The Clintons also address the infamous Lewinsky scandal, and the very personal effect the affair had on their marriage behind closed doors.
HuluSpeaking candidly in the doc, 73-year-old Bill Clinton described the affair as having been a way for him to ‘manage [his] anxieties’ during a time of great stress and pressure:
You feel like you’re staggering around, you’ve been in a 15-round prize fight that was extended to 30 rounds and here’s something that will take your mind off it for a while, that’s what happens.
Because there, whatever life – not just me. Everybody’s life has pressures and disappointments, terrors, fears of whatever.
[The] things I did to manage my anxieties for years. I’m a different, totally different person than I was – a lot of that stuff [happened] 20 years ago.
Clinton has also addressed his feelings of guilt over how the scandal went on to impact the life of Monica Lewinsky, who was just 22 years old at the time of the affair:
I feel terrible about the fact that Monica Lewinsky’s life was defined by it, unfairly I think.
Over the years, I’ve watched her trying to get a normal life back again, but you’ve got to decide how to define normal.
PASpeaking about the moment he confessed his affair to his wife, he said:
I went and sat on the bed and talked to her. I told her exactly what happened, when it happened. I said I feel terrible about it.
She said you have to tell your daughter. She said that’s worse than me. So I did that, which was awful.
Hillary Clinton, 72, also expressed how hurt she had been by her husband’s infidelity, revealing:
I was just devastated. I could not believe it. I was so personally just hurt, and [thought] I can’t believe this, I can’t believe you lied.
[…] We saw a counsellor… painful, painful discussions.
PAFollowing his affair, Bill became the second president in US history to be impeached; charged with perjury to a grand jury as well as obstruction of justice after denying having sexual relations with Ms Lewinsky. After a five-week trial, he was acquitted on both charges.
You can watch Hillary on Hulu from March 6, 2020.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.