Barbara Walters reveals past affair with black US senator

[Vito]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080501/ap_on_en_tv/tv_walters_affair

By FRAZIER MOORE, AP Television Writer 30 minutes ago

NEW YORK - After three decades of keeping mum, Barbara Walters is disclosing a past affair with married U.S. Senator Edward Brooke, whom she remembers as "exciting" and "brilliant."
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Appearing on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" scheduled to air Tuesday, Walters shares details of her relationship with Brooke that lasted several years in the 1970s, according to a transcript of the show provided to The Associated Press.

A moderate Republican from Massachusetts who took office in 1967, Brooke was the first African-American to be popularly elected to the Senate. Both he and Walters knew that public knowledge of their affair could have ruined his career as well as hers, Walters says.

At the time, the twice-divorced Walters was a rising star in TV news and co-host of NBC's "Today" show, but would soon jump to ABC News, where she has enjoyed unrivaled success. Her affair with Brooke, which never before came to light, had ended before he lost his bid for a third term in 1978.

Brooke later divorced, and has since remarried. Calls to a listing for Brooke in Miami by The Associated Press were not immediately returned Thursday.

Walters is the guest of Oprah Winfrey to discuss her new memoir, "Audition," which covers her long career in television, as well as her off-camera life. On "Oprah," Walters recounts a phone call from a friend who urged her to stop seeing Brooke.

"He said, 'This is going to come out. This is going to ruin your career,'" then reminded her that Brooke was up for re-election a year later. "'This is going to ruin him. You've got to break this off.'"

Winfrey asks Walters if she was in love.

"I was certainly — I don't know — I was certainly infatuated."

"Infatuated."

"I was certainly involved," Walters says. "He was exciting. He was brilliant. It was exciting times in Washington."

Also during the program, Walters chokes up while describing the struggles of her older sister Jackie, who was mentally retarded. Walters confesses that, as a child, she sometimes felt embarrassed by Jackie.

"She stuttered terribly. People made fun of her. People made fun of me," Walters says. "I didn't bring friends home. I felt terribly guilty because she was very loving and I didn't always feel that way."

Jackie Walters died in 1985 of ovarian cancer.

"When I think of her, because she was beautiful and loving and all of that, it makes me cry."

[MassuhDGoodName]

There's something truly "sick" in her psychological makeup for thinking that such a "public admission" elevates her character and puts her back in the limelight.

If she had any semblance of self respect, she would have carried that "secret" with her to the grave.

This is the same stupid whore who thinks Fidel Castro is the most sexy macho man she's ever met.

[SOLUTREAN ANCESTOR]

What do you expect?  She was engaged to marry Roy Cohn!!!!

[Angry Panther]

What do you expect?  She was engaged to marry Roy Cohn!!!!

She's a beard! I had no idea! 

[Vito]

I can't believe this isn't making headlines, there was one little article on yahoo about it, and now it's basically silent.

[RationalThought110]

I can't believe this isn't making headlines, there was one little article on yahoo about it, and now it's basically silent.

It probably will.  She'll be making appearances with her book on talk shows.

[JTFFan]

I can't believe this isn't making headlines, there was one little article on yahoo about it, and now it's basically silent.

It probably will.  She'll be making appearances with her book on talk shows.

Yes, probably

[Ari]

Who cares about her affairs?  That Hunta.