Meredith Vieira to Make Debut on NBC's ROCK CENTER, 2/8

Meredith Vieira makes her debut appearance on "ROCK CENTER with BrIan Williams" as it moves to Wednesdays at 9p/8c. In a candid and revealing interview about the beloved 35th president, Vieira sits down with Mimi Alford, the author of Once Upon a Secret My Affair with President John F. Kennedy and its Aftermath, as she shares explicit details about her 18 month affair with the President that began when she was only 19 years old. A secret Alford has kept hidden for 50 years, she will also be interviewed by Ann Curry on "Today," Thursday, February 9.

Excerpts from the upcoming interview, airing Wednesday, February 8th at 9p/8c on ROCK CENTER with BrIan Williams appear below:

Meredith Vieira:

When I saw this book, the first thing that that I thought was, I don't remember this story. You had really successfully sort of fallen off the face of the earth, so to speak -so why did you decide to expose yourself all over again, Mimi? Why write this book now?

MIMI ALFORD:
It's not so much that I feel that I'm exposing myself, it's that I'm really unburdening myself - it was a very difficult thing for me to do. In fact, most mornings when I woke up I thought I don't want to get up and write this book I want to hide under the covers.

Meredith Vieira:
So what made you then get out from under the covers?

MIMI ALFORD:
Because I think when you keep a secret and when you keep silent about something you do it because you think it's keeping you safe but in fact, it's deadly.

Meredith Vieira:
So you find yourself, here you are, you're 19, 4 days into your internship at the White House and you're in the swimming pool with the president of the United States.

MIMI ALFORD:
I know - but it really didn't seem unnatural just because everybody was friendly and I went back to work afterwards.

Meredith Vieira:
You just dried off and went back and nobody blinked an eyelash.

MIMI ALFORD:
No-one said anything.

Meredith Vieira:
You're in a limo, they're picking you up and taking you to the airport to fly you to DC and you're doing your homework in the car knowing that you're being sent to Washington to have sex with the President, essentially.

MIMI ALFORD:
I think that's probably partly what makes me feel sad when I look back. It made me feel very special.

Meredith Vieira:
You did not know at the time that there were a lot of other women?

MIMI ALFORD:
I didn't know, I assumed I was the only one.

Meredith Vieira:

Did you feel at any point Mimi, guilty about the relationship?

MIMI ALFORD:
I should have felt guilty. He was married to Mrs. Kennedy. But I didn't at the time -feel guilty.

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