It's been nearly three years since the then-governor of New Jersey, Jim McGreevey, announced to the world that he was a "gay American." At the time, his wife Dina stood by his side—but now she is coming forward with her side of the story in a tell-all book titled Silent Partner: A Memoir of My Marriage. Gayle talks to Dina about her book, her marriage to Jim and their drawn-out divorce.
When news broke that Jim was involved in a gay sex scandal, Dina says she was blindsided and didn't know how to react. "He never told me 'I am gay,'" Dina says. In fact, she says it wasn't until two hours before Jim planned on announcing his sexuality to the country that she learned the truth. "All the sudden … he hands me a sheet of paper and I read the words, 'I am a gay American.'"
Dina says she wrote the memoir because her marriage to Jim is still headline news, and she wanted to set the record straight. "I had written the book for myself, for my daughter—to tell my story—because other people have tried to tell it," she says. Addressing rumors and sharing her perspective is something that Dina says is helping others as well. "People have thanked me for finally speaking up for them—there 2 million-plus people who have been in my situation or are currently undergoing the same crisis in their lives," she says.
Meanwhile, Dina says her divorce is not final and the joint-custody arrangement for the couple's 5-year-old daughter has just been resolved. Dina says Jim's poor judgment in regard to their daughter's welfare is slowing divorce proceedings. These issues, which include their daughter being exposed to a picture of a nude man that hung over Jim's bed and their daughter sleeping in the same bed as Jim and his partner, are being resolved in court, Dina says.
Dina says she is frustrated with the slow progress of the divorce and didn't expect such a drawn-out legal battle. "I expected to be divorced within six months," she says. "I expected that we would have a civil relationship because we have a daughter together and we are always going to have to be in each others lives."
