Haggard’s wife reveals she knew he was attracted to men
The wife of a disgraced evangelical preacher has said she thought his homosexual feelings would ruin him.
Gayle Haggard appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday.
“I felt it was the thing that could destroy Ted if he gave in to it,” she said. “So I prayed for him and I felt as though he was winning the battle.”
Mr Haggard is currently promoting a documentary, The Trials of Ted Haggard, that will be aired on HBO later this month.
The founder of Colorado’s New Life Church, Ted Haggard had to resign the leadership of the church and the presidency of the National Association of Evangelicals after it emerged that he had been involved in a sexual relationship with Mike Jones and had bought and taken methamphetamines with male prostitutes.
Mr Jones, 50, claims that Mr Haggard, a vocal opponent of gay marriage, was a monthly client for three years.
He said the married pastor told him his fantasy was “to have sex with about 6 young college guys ranging from 18 to 22 in age.”
The current leader of New Life Church, Brady Boyd, admitted last week that a young male church member came forward after the revelations about Mr Haggard broke in 2006.
He described the relationship as “inappropriate” but “consensual” that went on for some time but the man was over the age of consent.
