Christine Beatty Pursued Kwame Kilpatrick Affair as Detroit Caved

Christine Beatty, whose affair with her former boss Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick helped reveal years of corruption in his administration, told Essence magazine that she is on a "journey of self-forgiveness."

Beatty described her relationship with Kilpatrick, who served as his chief of staff, and the lies about it that landed her in prison.

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Beatty pleaded guilty to two felony obstruction of justice charges in 2008 after The Detroit Free Press published text messages that showed she lied under oath about her affair with Kilpatrick during a police whistle-blower trial.

Beatty served 70 days of her 120-day sentenced and moved to Atlanta in February 2010.

"I’ve learned many things because of this ordeal: I know now that no matter how unhappy you are, you can’t look for your happiness in someone else; you won’t find it there," Beatty wrote in the first-person story titled "A Real Life Scandal" after the ABC political drama series starring Kerry Washington. "I’ve also come to understand that while you can’t help how you feel, you are in control of your actions."

Beatty filed for bankruptcy last October. She was $60,000 behind in delinquent federal taxes, had a $220,000 in mortgage debt, and bills that toppled $100,000 in restitution owed to Detroit from the 2008 text-message scandal.

The Detroit News reported that Beatty still owes Detroit $79,816.80 in restitution and was making $500 payments each month, according to Wayne County Circuit Court records.

"Despite what that sounds like, I didn’t sleep my way into the position," Beatty told Essence. "I was totally consumed by my affair with Kwame."

"We would find any spare time we could to be together, at the office or at my home when my children weren’t there," she added. "In the morning as I dressed for work, I would find myself wondering if Kwame would approve of my outfit. ... My happiness was completely dependent on whether I felt he adored me personally and was proud of me professionally."

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