SC Gov. Mark Sanford has nearly a year left in office, but his marriage is almost over.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- A judge says she'll grant South Carolina's first lady a divorce from the governor who called his Argentine mistress his soul mate.
A family court judge in Charleston on Friday said she'll approve Jenny Sanford's request to split from Gov. Mark Sanford, her husband of 20 years. It will become official in mid-March.
The first lady filed for divorce in December. She said reconciliation efforts were unsuccessful after her husband disappeared for five days last summer.
He returned to publicly confess a yearlong affair with the Argentine woman.
Sanford is the first sitting South Carolina governor to divorce.
In December, he also became the first governor censured by state lawmakers.
Jenny Sanford has written a memoir and is living with the couple's four sons.
Governor Mark Sanford's response from Ben Fox spokesman:
The governor simply stands by what he said in December, when he said:
"While it is not the course I would have hoped for, or would choose, I want to take full responsibility for the moral failure that led us to this tragic point. Jenny is a great person, and has been a remarkable wife, mother and First Lady. She has been more than gracious these last six months and gone above and beyond in her patience and commitment to put the needs of others in front of her own. While our family structure may change, I know that we will both work earnestly to be the best mom and dad we can be to four of the finest boys on earth.
"I will join with her in asking the press to respect our shared desire for privacy as we quietly move forward. We respectively ask for your prayers."
He reiterates that last point, in asking for prayers for he, Jenny and the boys - and again respectfully asks for privacy on these matters relating to the family.
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