Former South Carolina governor and Republican presidential hopeful, Mark Sanford, is engaged to his Argentine mistress, the politician confirmed to CNN.
News of Sanford's engagement to the journalist, Maria Belén Chapur, was first reported by Argentine newspaper Clarin.
According to the paper, Sanford proposed to Chapur last week at a restaurant called Bella Italia Grille in Buenos Aires. The former politician allegedly hid in a bathroom for nearly an hour and had waiters tell Chapur that she had won a contest for being the 100th customer. The paper reported that the waiter then handed Chapur a bag that held the ring and Sanford came out to propose.
In a statement sent to CNN, Sanford said, "Yes, we are engaged, and I'm both happy and excited for what that means. I have long expressed my feelings for her, she's a wonderful person. My closest friends have met and love her, and I look forward to introducing her to still many more that have yet to do so."
Clarin reported that the couple met in 2001 in Uruguay but began dating in 2004. Sanford was married with four children at the time.
Their relationship was discovered in 2009 when the then-presidential hopeful disappeared from office for five days, Fox News Latino reported. Reporters were first told that Sanford was hiking the Appalachian Trail but it was later learned he was visiting Chapur in Argentina.
Upon arriving in South Carolina, Sanford admitted to the affair that would end his marriage and his budding political career. In a statement, Sanford said, "I've been unfaithful to my wife. I developed a relationship with what started as a dear, dear friend from Argentina. It began very innocently as I suspect many of these things do, in just a casual email back and forth in advice on one's life there and advice here. But here recently, over this last year, it developed into something much more than that."
The former politician later divorced his wife and was forced to pay $74,000 in ethical fines after an investigation was launched, Fox News Latino reported.
No wedding date has been set by the newly engaged couple.
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