Rielle Hunter Opens Up About John Edwards: 'I Absolutely Love Him'

Rielle Hunter is stepping back into the spotlight almost eight years after her affair with then then-North Carolina senator John Edwards became public.

Hunter and Quinn, her 8-year-old daughter with Edwards, released a children's book titled Howie Do It – leading Hunter to open up to ABC News about her current relationship with Edwards.

"He's family, I absolutely love him," Hunter said in a segment that aired Friday on Good Morning America, adding, I "will always love him."

Hunter, 52, also said that Edwards "has a real soft spot" for their daughter and that they're still "very good friends and great co-parents."



She added, "We get along great. We have the same goals, we want the best for Quinn."

Hunter and the then-married Edwards' affair became public in 2007 in the midst of the former senator's bid for Democratic presidential nomination. (Hunter worked for Edwards' campaign.) The affair ultimately led to Edwards dropping out of politics and separating from his wife Elizabeth Edwards in 2010, shortly before she died from breast cancer at the age of 61.

After years of negative media attention, Hunter revealed why she's choosing to come back into the spotlight now.

"You can't go away," Hunter says. "When you make a mistake you have to take a responsibility for it, say you're sorry and move on."

It's clearly a lesson her daughter, who sees Edwards "as often as possible", is learning from the former actress and producer.

On what she's learned from her mom, the 8-year-old says she's taught her that "it's okay to make mistakes."