Did Edwards cheat on terminally ill wife?

The American supermarket tabloid the National Enquirer has dropped a bombshell on the Democratic race for the White House with a story, long rumoured, that John Edwards cheated on his wife who is terminally ill with cancer, and is the father of an unborn love child. The story has been published just as a new poll shows Edwards pulling ahead of his two more high-profile rivals, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, in the state of Iowa where the first caucuses in the 2008 campaign are being held on January 3.

The Enquirer names the mother as Rielle Hunter, who was attached to the Edwards campaign for a while when she traveled with the candidate to make videos of his life on the road. The paper says Hunter is six months pregnant and claims that she has told a close confidante that Edwards is the father. The paper says she living in North Carolina in a gated community, a few streets away from one of Edwards's key campaign officials.

Recent polls from Iowa have shown the three leading Democrats jostling for position before January 3. Most recently, Obama seemed to be pulling ahead of Clinton with Edwards trailing. But a poll published on Tuesday by InsiderAdvantage shows John Edwards leading the Iowa caucus with 30 per cent, followed by Clinton at 26 per cent and Obama on 24 per cent.

It is unclear what effect the Enquirer report will have on the candidate who shared with the press his grief at learning that his wife Elizabeth (pictured with her husband) was suffering from an incurable cancer. While the Enquirer publishes a lot of nonsense about Hollywood celebrities, it has gained a reputation in recent years for breaking big political scandals.

When rumours first surfaced about Rielle Hunter's pregnancy, she issued a statement denying that Edwards was the father. "When working for the Edwards camp, my conduct as well as the conduct of my entire team was completely professional," she said. "This concocted story is just dirty politics and I want no part of it." US election watchers are waiting to see whether Hunter and/or Edwards demand a retraction - and sue if they don't get one. ·