Robinson back to work despite wife's affair
Robinson back to work despite wife's affair
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Thursday, 07, Jan 2010 11:28
By Alex Steger.
Northern Ireland's first minister Peter Robinson returned to work today, hours after it was revealed his wife had attempted suicide after having an affair.
Iris Robinson made the revelations in a statement released yesterday, Wednesday January 6th, in which she admitted having a "brief relationship" with another man.
Mr Robinson, the leader of the DUP, made his own statement following his wife's in which he said he would try to save the marriage and would continue in his job. He is due to meet the deputy first minster Martin McGuinness later today.
The couple have been married for 39 years and have three grown up children. Mrs Robinson had been an MP since 2001 but stepped down last year due to ill health. Mr Robinson has been the first minister since June 2008.
In an interview given yesterday he revealed that he first learned of the affair on March 1st 2008, the evening of the attempted suicide. In the same interview he revealed he had been "deeply hurt" and had initially thought of walking away from the marriage.
Mrs Robinson said in her statement that she was "completely ashamed and deeply embarrassed".
The revelations come at an already difficult time for the first minister as power sharing arrangements in Northern Ireland are under pressure in a dispute over the timing of devolution of policing and justice.
Mrs Robinson also hit headlines in June of 2008 for comments she made about homosexuality. Speaking in a Northern Ireland Grand Committee session she said: "There can be no viler act, apart from homosexuality and sodomy, than sexually abusing innocent children."