John and Elizabeth Edwards are splitting up after 32 years of marriage.

The story was picked up by national media outlets after People magazine first reported it in its latest issue, which hits newsstands today.

The magazine quoted Elizabeth Edwards’ sister, Nancy Anania, as saying that Elizabeth told her, “I’ve had it. I can’t do this. I want my life back.”

John Edwards confirmed the separation in a statement released to The Associated Press after the story broke Wednesday.

“It is an extraordinarily sad moment, but I love my children more than anything and still care deeply about Elizabeth,” he said.

The separation is the latest development following the disgraced former U.S. senator’s admission last week that he fathered a child out of wedlock with Rielle Hunter, a former campaign videographer.

Edwards had denied paternity for more than a year, even after admitting the affair.

The baby, Frances Quinn Hunter, is nearly 2 years old.

The Washington Post reported that the People article included comments from Wallace and Bobbie Edwards, John’s parents, about how they had accepted the child. They live in Robbins.

Edwards, a trial lawyer by profession, grew up in Robbins. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998. He made two unsuccessful bids for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008. Sen. John Kerry tapped Edwards as his vice-presidential running mate in 2004

He met Hunter shortly before kicking off the 2008 campaign.

The Pilot learned last week after Edwards’ paternity admission that the couple are living in separate residences — John is living in his beach house at Figure Eight Island on the North Carolina coast and Elizabeth in their large Chapel Hill home.

Unflattering depictions of the Edwardses became public with the release of a new book, “Game Change,” which gives a behind-the-scenes account of the 2008 presidential election.

Another book, “The Politician,” written by former aide Andrew Young, will be released next week and is expected to be unflattering as well. Young has said that Edwards asked him to claim paternity of the love child as a favor.

Media reports Wednesday indicated that Elizabeth Edwards denied many of the allegations in Young’s book in a statement released by Random House, her book publisher.

After acknowledging paternity last week, Edwards went to Haiti to assist in the relief effort following the earthquake that decimated that country. He has since returned.

Contact John Krahnert III at (910) 693-2473 or by e-mail at jkrahnert@thepilot.com