Watch CBS News

Christine Beatty Talks About Sexting, Lies And Jail Time In New Interview

DETROIT (WWJ) - She was at the center of one of the biggest scandals in the history of Detroit.

But now, Christine Beatty, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's chief of staff and lover, is speaking out.

Christine Beatty is talking about her life after the sexting scandal that rocked the city of Detroit -- and subsequently sent both Beatty and former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to jail. During the trial, it was discovered the two lied under oath about their affair.

In the November issue of Essence magazine, Beatty breaks her silence for the first time in a cover story. A pre-promotion segment of the interview was released by the magazine where Beatty says she's learned many things because of this ordeal, including "no matter how unhappy you are, you can't look for your happiness in someone else because you won't find it there."

The magazine hits newsstands on October 10 -- the same day Kilpatrick is scheduled for sentencing in federal court.

Disgraced former mayor Kilpatrick was first convicted of a crime in relation to Beatty. He was convicted of lying on the stand about their romance -- denying it during a wrongful dismissal suit brought by a cop who claimed he was fired for knowing too much. Thousands of text messages were later revealed proving the relationship was true. Both Beatty and Kilpatrick were married; she wasn't charged in connection with Kilpatrick's later federal charges.

Kilpatrick was later convicted of running a racketeering scheme in office, shaking down contractors for cash in exchange for doing business in the city.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.