WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., May 1 (Reuters) - Paula Broadwell said she is focusing on her faith and family as she rebuilds her life after revelations of her extramarital affair with former CIA Director David Petraeus forced his resignation and thrust her into the center of a media firestorm.
"I grew up in a strong faith-based family," she told News 14 Carolina after attending a YMCA prayer breakfast in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she lives.
"I think I have selected to return to those roots for strength, for my family, for myself and to protect our children and to forgive others and move on and face forward," she said.
Broadwell's relationship with the retired U.S. Army general, who was once considered to be a potential contender for the White House, came to light last year after anonymous emails she sent to a Tampa socialite who knew Petraeus prompted an FBI investigation.
The sex scandal involving the married four-star general and his biographer, an U.S. Army Reserve intelligence officer who was also married, was a shocking downfall for a lauded military man credited with helping to pull Iraq from the brink of all-out civil war while commander there.
Broadwell said she was seeking meaningful work, not publicity, in the aftermath of the scandal, which she did not discuss in the television interview.
"I've been involved in a number of wounded warrior organizations and veteran support initiatives in our community," she said.
"The mission today ... was to speak about redemption and slowing down in life and finding purpose," she said. "It really touched my heart, I've made some mistakes in the past, but I'm trying to look forward with my family."
The City University of New York announced last month that Petraeus will join the school as a visiting professor starting in August. (Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Scott Malone and Maureen Bavdek)
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