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Gayle King was pleasantly surprised by ex-husband William Bumpus’ public apology for cheating on her years ago.
“I was surprised, but I can also say I appreciated what he had to say,” King, 71, told TMZ on Thursday, May 28. “That was a very painful time. But people need to understand that anyone who has been through it knows how painful it is. But I also know that you can go through it and get through it on the other side.”
During her appearance on the Wednesday, May 27, episode of Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast, King opened up about catching Bumpus, 70, cheating with one of her best friends in 1990. She recalled returning home after a canceled flight, where her then-husband attempted to stop her from entering the house.
“I didn’t believe him,” she said. “I get down and there they are — or there she is cowering behind the door in my towel. It was a nice bath sheet.”
King said she kept her composure while confronting Bumpus and his mistress because their young children were home. (The exes share daughter Kirby, 40, and son Will, 39. Bumpus is also a dad to daughter Poet, 16, from another relationship.)
“I was thinking, ‘The kids are here, I don’t want anybody to know,’” she continued. “That was my main thought, ‘I don’t want anybody to know.’ That would not happen to me today.”
King and Bumpus, who tied the knot in 1982, attempted to repair their marriage in the aftermath of the scandal. However, they ultimately divorced in 1993.
Bumpus publicly apologized for the cheating scandal in a 2016 interview with Page Six, admitting that he was “haunted with this life-altering choice.” He issued another statement after the podcast interview.
“My deepest apologies to Gayle, to our daughter Kirby and her husband, Virgil, to our son William and his wife, Elise, and to our three grandchildren, for the pain I caused decades ago. Those actions were mine,” Bumpus told TMZ on Thursday. “I have long owned [my actions] — including publicly in my own words in 2016, which still stand.”
He continued, “Gayle has every right to share what was a painful chapter that changed the trajectory of our marriage and our family nearly 40 years ago. I respect her right to tell her story, and that’s where I’ll leave it.”
While speaking to TMZ on Thursday, King said she and Bumpus have “both healed” and “moved on” from the situation.
“And the reason why I can talk about it so candidly is because of the time that has passed,” she added. “And I’m in a really great place, and so is he.”
