Former President Barack Obama revealed his wife struggled during their time in the office.
Speaking to People magazine, the 59-year-old discussed the ‘relief’ they experienced after leaving the White House.
“During the time we were there, Michelle felt this underlying tension,” Obama shared. “The pressure, stress, of needing to get everything right, to be ‘on’ at every moment.”
In his new book A Promised Land, Obama referenced the “undercurrent of tension in her, subtle but constant.”
“There were nights when, lying next to Michelle in the dark, I’d think about those days when everything between us felt lighter, when her smile was more constant and our love less encumbered, and my heart would suddenly tighten at the thought that those days might not return,” he shared.
He told People: “There were times where I think she was frustrated or sad or angry but knew that I had Afghanistan or the financial crisis to worry about… so she would tamp it down.”
But after leaving the office, they became more relaxed and happier.
“It was like a big exhale right after we left office,” he expressed. “It took some time to talk about how she had felt. Once (the presidency) was done, there was possibility of her opening up … but more importantly just her being able to let out a breath and relax.”
He added that his wife “has been more relaxed and more joyful since we left office.
“That allowed us to just enjoy the deep love that comes with a marriage this long. But also to be friends again.”
Obama’s A Promise Land was released on November 17 after the national elections. The New York Times described it as being ‘virtually guaranteed’ to be the year’s top seller.
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