THE woman who caused an American president's impeachment told her side of the story in public for the first time last night.
In her long-awaited first TV interview on ABC, Ms Monica Lewinsky was shown watching a clip of Mr Clinton's address when he admitted he "misled people, even my wife." In a Channel Four interview to be televised in Britain tonight, Ms Lewinsky describes feeling "suicidal" when confronted by prosecutors from the office of Independent Counsel Ken Starr. She considered jumping from a 10th floor hotel window.
In another development, she said she became pregnant by another lover while still involved with the president, and had an abortion, according to Monica's Story, the book she has written with Andrew Morton. She says Clinton still does not know about her abortion. Ms Lewinsky told the ABC interviewer, Barbara Walters, of her reaction to President Clinton's admission of their affair. "I felt dirty and I felt used and I was disappointed." Asked whether she believed Mr Clinton felt remorse, Ms Lewinsky said that as a politician "I think he's sorry he got caught." But "when I think of the person I thought Bill Clinton was, he had genuine remorse."
She described Mr Clinton as "a very sensuous man who has a lot of sensuous feelings."
Ms Lewinsky laughed frequently during the interview and was clearly well prepared. She covered her face once with embarrassment when asked about the time she showed the President her thong underwear. She said it was "a small, subtle, flirtatious gesture." At another stage she was asked if the President "gratified" her during their sexual encounters. Looking solemn, she replied, "yes". She agreed with the interviewer that she had been "happy and contented" and then giggled. During the two-hour interview on ABC, broken up by numerous commercials, Ms Lewinsky also expressed her own remorse. "I waited a long time to be able to express to the country how very sorry I am for my part in the past year's ordeal."
A spokeswoman for Mrs Clinton said the First Lady had no comment on the interview. Last night's interview was the opening of a sustained publicity campaign by Ms Lewinsky to earn money to pay off her estimated $2 million in legal fees.
For tonight's Channel Four interview she will reportedly be paid $660,000.
Monica - The Interview - in which Ms Lewinsky talks to Jon Snow goes out on RTE1 and Channel 4 at 9.30 p.m. tonight.