Former senator, vice-presidential candidate, and presidential candidate John Edwards on Thursday admitted paternity of a daughter with former mistress Rielle Hunter, contradicting multiple previous denials. “I am Quinn’s father,” Edwards said in a statement. “I will do everything in my power to provide her with the love and support she deserves…. It was wrong for me ever to deny she was my daughter.”

Previously, Edwards claimed that it was “impossible” for Hunter’s daughter to be his child.

An Edwards advisor says that Edwards and his wife of over 30 years, Elizabeth Edwards have separated. Edwards apparently did not make any media appearances because of the ongoing federal investigation into whether he used campaign money to cover up the affair with Hunter.

Coincidentally (or not), Edwards’ admission comes less than two weeks before release of a tell-all book by former aide Andrew Young, who previously claimed to be the father of Hunter’s child. Young will reportedly reveal that Edwards had asked him to falsify paternity test results.

Frances Quinn Hunter was born Feb. 27, 2008, which would mean that she was conceived in the middle of 2007, several months after Hunter stopped working for the Edwards presidential campaign.

John and Elizabeth Edwards renewed their wedding vows in July of 2007, to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. Elizabeth Edwards had previously battled breast cancer, a disease which recurred in March 2007.

Edwards initially denied the affair as well as paternity of the child. He then admitted the affair in August 2008 but maintained that the relationship ended prior to the conception of Quinn. He has reportedly reached a child support agreement with Hunter recently.

Library topics: Legal Separation, Adultery, Paternity, Paternity Tests, Child Support