First Lady Barbara Bush opened up about a period of deep depression and suicidal thoughts she experienced in the 1970s amid rumors that her husband George H.W. Bush was having an affair with his secretary Jennifer Fitzgerald. Barbara spilled all her secrets in a new book, The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty. Click through the gallery for all the info.
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Barbara, who
died in 2018 at the age of 92, told author
Susan Page that she “fell into darkness” during the 1970s. “Overwhelmed by pain and loneliness, she contemplated suicide,” Susan wrote.
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“I felt terrible. I would pull over and park so I wouldn't go hit a tree,” Barbara told Susan before she died. “I really wasn't brave enough to do that, but that's why I pulled over, so I wouldn't do that, or I wouldn't run into another car.”
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She would cry into her husband’s arms every night. “I almost wonder why he didn't leave me,” she confessed of George, who also died last year at the age of 94.
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Barbara attributed her depression to “a toxic combination of factors,” including menopause, George’s top secret job at the CIA, and empty nest syndrome.
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But Susan also spoke to people who shed light on George’s alleged affair with Jennifer, which she believes also influenced Barbara’s struggles.
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A source told Susan that when George met Jennifer in the 1970s, he “was simply captivated” by her. The author claims their romance went on for over a dozen years.
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Jennifer worked with George until he became president in 1988 and transferred her to the State Department.
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George denied
the affair until his death. Jennifer told Susan, “It simply didn’t happen.”
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If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
Barbara, who
died in 2018 at the age of 92, told author
Susan Page that she “fell into darkness” during the 1970s. “Overwhelmed by pain and loneliness, she contemplated suicide,” Susan wrote.
Photo credit: Getty Images
“I felt terrible. I would pull over and park so I wouldn't go hit a tree,” Barbara told Susan before she died. “I really wasn't brave enough to do that, but that's why I pulled over, so I wouldn't do that, or I wouldn't run into another car.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
She would cry into her husband’s arms every night. “I almost wonder why he didn't leave me,” she confessed of George, who also died last year at the age of 94.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Barbara attributed her depression to “a toxic combination of factors,” including menopause, George’s top secret job at the CIA, and empty nest syndrome.
Photo credit: Getty Images
But Susan also spoke to people who shed light on George’s alleged affair with Jennifer, which she believes also influenced Barbara’s struggles.
Photo credit: Getty Images
A source told Susan that when George met Jennifer in the 1970s, he “was simply captivated” by her. The author claims their romance went on for over a dozen years.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Jennifer worked with George until he became president in 1988 and transferred her to the State Department.
Photo credit: Getty Images
George denied
the affair until his death. Jennifer told Susan, “It simply didn’t happen.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
Photo credit: Getty Images