Federal Labor MP Belinda Neal says she still loves husband John Della Bosca and will fight for their marriage despite his secret six-month affair with a 26-year-old.
Ms Neal, 46, declared her intentions in the latest issue of Australian Women's Weekly magazine, which went on sale today.
“We both love each other and we want to keep building on that,” she told the magazine.
"We have decided that, despite everything that's happened, we are the most important people to each other and ... and that's worth maintaining.”
The mother of two said she was deeply shocked by her husband's confession.
But Ms Neal said the very public revelation forced her to confront her own role in a "neglected marriage" spanning 23 years and more than any couple's fair share of controversies.
Ms Neal told the magazine she and Mr Della Bosca had made a pact to save their marriage.
"We have made a decision not to separate," she said.
"We didn't ever separate. Everyone expressed an opinion about who was sleeping where and none of that was true."
The couple were spotted eating breakfast together in Woy Woy yesterday. Mr Della Bosca told a reporter the couple were "very optimistic" about their future.
Ms Neal also told the magazine she wanted other women to know their partners' infidelity did not devalue them.