How his first marriage broke up Kamala Harris' husband confesses to affair with nanny

The husband of US Vice President Kamala Harris has admitted to an affair years ago that contributed to the break-up of his first marriage to Kerstin Emhoff.

During his first marriage, Kerstin and he went through some tough times because of his actions, Doug Emhoff said in a statement first reported by CNN.

He had taken responsibility and in the years since, they had worked through it as a family and emerged stronger than before. Emhoff felt compelled to make the statement after the tabloid "Daily Mail" reported on the matter. Emhoff is said to have flirted with one of his daughter's nannies.

The team that assessed Kamala Harris' suitability for the US Democratic vice presidential candidacy knew about Emhoff's affair during his first marriage before President Joe Biden brought her to his side in the 2020 election campaign, said a person privy to the events at the time. Harris had also known about the relationship before she married Emhoff.

Ex-wife stands behind Emhoff

The presidential candidate met her husband on a blind date in 2013 and they tied the knot the following year. It is Harris' first marriage, Emhoff's second. Harris' stepchildren Ella and Cole were teenagers when their father remarried.

Film producer Kerstin Emhoff has previously spoken favorably of Harris, praising her as a "loving, caring and ever-present co-parent". After her ex-husband publicly addressed his previous affair, Kerstin Emhoff stood behind him in a statement.

Doug and she had decided to end their marriage years ago for a variety of reasons. She said she was proud of the "warm and supportive patchwork family" that Doug, Kamala and she had built together.

dpa