Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer said he's a "very fortunate guy" and that his wife and their three daughters have forgiven him for his embarrassing 2008 prostitution scandal.
Spitzer repeated his remorse on Monday when he spoke to Matt Lauer on TODAY.
"This is something that has caused excruciating pain to (my wife) and my daughters," Spitzer told Lauer. "It's something that I carry with me every day because of the pain I've caused ... (It) has been enormous."
Spitzer resigned as governor in March 2008 after admitting to having frequented a $4,000-per-session call-girl service. He said he'd thought about the prospect of getting caught, but didn't try to stop.
"Like many things in life, you ignore the obvious at a certain moment because you simply don't want to confront it," Spitzer told Lauer.
Spitzer drifted into obscurity after the sex scandal, but returned to the spotlight when he began writing a business/government column on Slate.com in December.
As he slowly tries to reclaim some measure of respectability, he said he's grateful for the support of his family.
"I'm a very fortunate guy," he told Lauer. "I have a spectacular wife, three daughters who are wonderful. I've been forgiven. There are moments when you realize those are the things that matter."
