13 shocking high-profile confessions
Lance Armstrong is only the latest public figure forced to make public and sometimes painful confessions.
After years of denial, seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong confessed to doping this week in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. But he's only the latest in a long line of athletes, celebrities and powerful politicians forced to make public and sometimes painful confessions.
After years of denial, seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong confessed to doping this week in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. But he's only the latest in a long line of athletes, celebrities and powerful politicians forced to make public and sometimes painful confessions.
In 2007, Marion Jones surrenders the three gold medals and two bronze medals she won at the 2000 Summer Olympics after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court to lying to federal agents under oath about her use of steroids before the Olympics.
After his whereabouts were unknown for several days, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford admitted in a tearful news conference that he had affair with a woman from Argentina. He resigned as chairman of the Republican Governors Association and he and his wife eventually divorced.
Pop-music sensation Milli Vanilli was forced to return Grammy awards in 1990 after the brothers confessed that they didn't contribute any vocals to their best-selling album "Girl You Know It's True."
In 2006, the Rev. Ted Haggard resigns as president of the National Association of Evangelicals after a man claims they had had sexual trysts together and that Haggard bought crystal methamphetamine from him and they used it together. Haggard, who had been an outspoken opponent of gay marriage, would eventually acknowledge almost all of the allegations against him, including using meth.
A 2009 car accident set off a series of revelations about Tiger Woods' personal life, including infidelity. Woods admitted to widespread extramarital affairs in a public apology less than three months later.
Eight-time Grand Slam title winner Agassi retired in 2006 but stunned the tennis world in 2009 when he used his autobiography to confess to having taken crystal meth. Equally shocking was his revelation that he had escaped a ban by convincing the ATP that he had taken it accidentally.
A promising young congressman from New York, Anthony Weiner was forced to make an embarrassing confession in 2011 after it was revealed that he had sent sexually suggestive and explicit images to several women online. "I am here today to again apologize for the personal mistakes I have made and the embarrassment I have caused," he said in his resignation speech.
After initially denying it, President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony in 1998 that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. On the same day, he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship.
A decorated war hero, Gen. David Petraeus resigned as director of the CIA in November 2012 after an FBI investigation uncovered an extramarital affair he had with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. "After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair," Petraeus confessed in a letter to CIA staff.
After being caught on a federal wiretap of arranging to meet with a prostitute in a Washington hotel room, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer confessed in a news conference with his wife to cheating on her with several prostitutes.
In 1989, televangelist Jim Bakker was sentenced to 45 years in prison and fined $500,000 for his conviction on eight counts of mail fraud, 15 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy. He admitted to having "sinned" and later wrote the memoir, "I Was Wrong."
Following accusations of sexual assault involving a woman in Colorado, Lakers star Kobe Bryant held a news conference with his wife in July 2003 in which he tearfully admitted to having an affair with the woman, but insisted that everything that happened was consensual. The charges were later dropped.
