From the beginning, there was "a very intense sexual attraction" between Ms Monica Lewinsky and President Clinton, the former White House intern says in a much-awaited first TV interview to be broadcast tonight.
Extracts from the interview have been published by the New York Daily News, which obtained an unedited audio tape of the first 60 minutes of the three-hour conversation between Ms Lewinsky and Barbara Walters. Excerpts will be broadcast on ABC between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. US Eastern time (from 2 a.m. Irish time).
Ms Lewinsky - appearing in a dark suit and slicked-back hair - is at times girlish, confident and mature. Occasionally she is defiant.
She apologises to Mrs Hillary Clinton and Ms Chelsea Clinton but does not expect them to forgive her for the affair with the President which resulted in his impeachment.
"I wouldn't dream of asking Chelsea and Mrs Clinton to forgive me, but I would ask them to know that I am very sorry for what happened and for what they've been through."
Ms Lewinsky said she had warm feelings for Chelsea Clinton and "wanted good things for her". Ms Walters asked if Ms Lewinsky ever thought about the First Lady while carrying on the affair and she said that she did "a lot" but "I never thought she would find out". She refused to give her views on the state of the Clinton marriage, but agreed that she was "in competition with Hillary Clinton". "She was the wife of this man I was in love with - certainly not competition with her in terms of her being the First Lady," she said.
Asked if she was worried about "doing something wrong" for the President or the country, Ms Lewinsky said that she "feels bad" that she had no qualms at the time.
"I was enamoured with him. I was excited and I was enjoying it."
She says she has now learned her lesson. "I hope I never will have - I know - I never will have an affair with a married man again. I have to pray about that."
Ms Lewinsky said the affair was both "the most amazing experience of my life" and a very painful time.
She said she told the President she was in love with him. "He said `That means a lot to me.' " But he never said he loved her.
She said: "We instantly felt very familiar with each other, and we were very comfortable with each other, and it was amazing." She said that "he's a good kisser". Ms Lewinsky called Mr Clinton "a very sensual man who has a lot of sensual feelings" that conflict with his deep religious beliefs. "I think he tries to hold himself back and then he can't anymore because it's an energy you cannot ignore."
Ms Lewinsky portrayed as thrilling the sexual encounter between her and the President while he spoke about Bosnia on the telephone with a Congressman. "The truth is that obviously there is an element of excitement and a little bit of danger that was involved."
Asked if she felt cheap, she said she did not.
She said the President tried to reassure her when she complained of feeling like a sex object.
She said he began to weep and "he told me that he never wanted me to feel bad and that that's not what this relationship was about".
