Spitzer Scandal Hooker Says Sorry To Wife

The prostitute at the center of the scandal that brought down former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer says she's undergone "intense" psychotherapy since the events that generated national headlines - and feels especially bad for his wife.

Ashley Alexandra Dupre tells People magazine that the FBI informed her in early March that it was investigating one of her clients. A few days later, she found out which client when she recognized Spitzer on TV - resigning.

That was March 12, after revelations Spitzer had used Emperors Club VIP, where Dupre worked.

Her mother, Carolyn, alerted her to turn on the TV during Spitzer's farewell speech. Dupre said she was stricken by his wife's pained expression.

"I try not to revisit that place too often, but when I think about his speech, I think of her face, her eyes, the hurt," she said.

Her message to Silda Wall Spitzer: "I'm sorry for your pain."

Dupre said Spitzer was polite and businesslike when they met. "Some guys, they want to have conversations and really get to know each other. With him, it clearly was not like that," she said. "It was more of a transaction. Strictly business."

Dupre, who was known then as Kristen, said she practiced safe sex with all her clients, including Spitzer. On her attorney's advice, she declined to elaborate on their liaison, or say whether Spitzer visited her more than once. She did say that he dressed casually and she did not see his security detail.

Dupre said she quit the escort business temporarily in April 2007 after falling in love with a wealthy married man. "It started to be scary. ... What if I got AIDS? Got killed?" After they broke up, she went to work at the Emperor's Club. It was during that period that she met Spitzer.

Dupre also sat down with Diane Sawyer for an ABC "20/20" segment to be aired Friday night. In that interview, she reveals how an "upper middle-class, girl next door got into the profession and the psychological journey she continues to experience."

Four people have pleaded guilty to running the prostitution operation. Last week, federal prosecutors said they wouldn't bring criminal charges against Spitzer.

Dupre, 23, envisions a future for herself in the worlds of music, fashion and "writing books" - but not prostitution. "Never again."