Affair Handbook

Affairs are scandalous things. They break hearts and destroy trust. Having an affair destroys the vows of marriage and can emotionally cripple one or both partners. On the other hand, some affairs have brought together some of the greatest couples of all time. There is the theory of thought that some affairs were meant to be. That doesn’t negate the pain of the betrayed spouse, however. Some affairs have reached storied heights and have gone down in the annals of history as the greatest affairs of all time. Here are 5 of the greatest affairs of all time. Some are recent and 1 goes back a century, but one things is consistent with them all, they wont soon be forgotten.

#5 – Johnny and June Cash Affair

The Man in Black, as Cash was known, was a hard partying country singer with a wild side that went way beyond most of us. He was notorious for his wild behavior (10 things you did now know about Johny Cash) and unique singing voice but also for the famous affair that ended his marriage. He was married to a woman named Vivian and had children with her when he became involved with another singer, June Carter. Eventually, after much publicity and social discourse, the two became an official married couple. Some people in the know say that June was more like Yoko Ono than a fairytale princess and that she manipulated and schemed her way into Johnny’s heart and career.

#4 – Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles

When Prince Charles married Princess Diana the world watched their fairytale wedding. It wasn’t long, however before rumors of the Prince’s real love started to fly. Some press reports state Prince Charles carried on an affair with Camilla Parker Bowels throughout his entire marriage to Diana despite her being years younger and far more attractive. Parker Bowles and the Prince met in 1971 at a Windsor Polo match where it is said that she approached him to tell him their great-great grandparents had been secret lovers. The scandalous royal affair turned into a real life marriage after the tragic car crash death of Diana.

#3 – Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings

One of history’s most scandalous affairs occurred between President Thomas Jefferson and slave Sally Hemings. Third President of the U.S., Jefferson even fathered children with Hemings. Rumors of this union surfaced in his first term of office when a disgruntled ally, political journalist James T Callender wrote about it in a Richmond newspaper, and have remained ever since. Proof was finally offered in 1998 when DNA testing was done on Hemings descendants, proving the pair had at least one child together but most historians claim he fathered six of her children. The scandal was widely known during his presidency but Jefferson remained mute on the subject and never spoke of if publically. There are no known comments on the affair from Hemings either.

#2 – Tiger Woods and Jaimee Grubbs

Professional golfer Tiger Woods affair with bar maid Jaimee Grubbs became widely known when Grubbs came forward with text and voice messages from the golfer proving an on-going two year affair. More and more women came forward claiming various sex-filled dalliances with Woods. His career continued to careen into the sewer when he crashed his car in a drunken stupor in 2009. Woods wife, Elen Nordegren and mother of his children was not the forgive and forget type and divorced him. He agreed to a $100 million divorce settlement as long as she gave up the right to talk about his marital infidelities to the media. His career was never the same, even after his short hiatus and return to golfing in the 2010 Masters.

#1 – President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky

The affair heard round the world has to be the affair between American President Bill Clinton and intern, Monica Lewinsky. (Watch Clinton’s Video Response) The press covered every lurid detail from the unnatural acts with a cigar to the semen stained dress, this affair was heard throughout the world. Lewinsky began work as an unpaid intern in the White House in November of 1995 and by December she was in a paid position that required frequent trips to the Oval Office to deliver messages from congress. In 1996 she was transferred to another government office. Reports state the move was due to her inappropriate and immature behavior in the White House. It was there that Lewinsky met career government employee Linda Tripp to whom she eventually began to confide. Tripp recorded the conversations and the affair was eventually made public.

Passion and love have no boundaries, not even to those already married. Sometimes the pull of emotions is too strong. Broken spouses are left to heal themselves and put the pieces of their lives back together. Although most do not have to do it in front of the media and thousands of members of the general public. If there is one thing these affairs teach us it is that affairs can happen to anyone. From celebrities to political powerhouses and Princes, the love extramarital bug can strike anyone.