Right Celebrity

It looks like L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is in the hot seat after he has admitted that he has been involved in an affair with Telemundo TV Anchor Mirthala Salinas. The buzz started in January, when he and his wife, Corina Villaraigosa, no longer made public appearances together and it was noticed that he no longer wore his wedding ring. The mayor laughed off the speculation and stated that he simply has been working out and losing weight, and the ring was at the jeweler’s getting resized. Heh heh…good one.

So after the L.A. Daily News was set to publish a story of his affair with Salinas, and a statement from his mother in law, Villaraigosa issued this statement:

“It is true that I have a relationship with Ms. Mirthala Salinas. As I’ve said I take full responsibility for my actions, and I once again ask that people respect my family’s privacy. For my part, I intend to stay focused on my job, and to work as hard as I can every day to be the best mayor I can be.”

Last month, he and his wife formally separated and days later held a press conference to state that he was taking responsibility for what happened and felt a “personal sense of failure about it”. The day after the press conference, Corina filed for divorce.

Update: Mirthala Salinas has separated from Telemundo. In a statement issued on October 2, 2007, the station said “have mutually agreed to end our employment relationship.” She had been suspended for the affair and apparently forgot to show up for work after it was over.

The mayor has been spotted at Mirthala’s townhouse in recent months, but no PDA between them. When Mirthala’s mother passed away in January, Villaraigosa attended the funeral in Phoenix.

What’s up with these politicos? They just can’t seem to keep their womanizing ways under wraps…but us bloggers love stories like these!! More photos below:

**Photo: By Robert Durrell, Los Angeles Times via AP