Elizabeth Edwards

Former presidential hopeful John Edwards was more "a spectator than a participant" at a 2007 meeting in which his now-deceased wife, Elizabeth, railed at two political donors because they had maintained ties to his mistress, Rielle Hunter.

Jennifer Palmieri, a former aide to Edwards who is now the White House deputy director of communications under Barack Obama, said Elizabeth Edwards was angry at Fred Baron and his wife Lisa for taking Hunter on a shopping spree.

"Rielle Hunter was a loose cannon and Fred and Lisa thought it was important to keep the relationship going," Palmieri said, in describing the 2007 meeting at a hotel in Davenport, Iowa, at which she was present.

"Elizabeth just wanted Rielle out of their lives entirely," she said.

John Edwards, 58, is accused of violating federal election laws by soliciting more than $900,000 in illegal campaign contributions, mainly from Baron and heiress Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, as he pursued the presidency in 2008.

The federal government contends that he sought money to conceal the affair, knowing revelations that he was cheating on his cancer-stricken wife and had fathered Hunter's child would destroy his campaign.

Cate Edwards, the daughter of John Edwards, had to leave his trial on federal campaign violation charges yesterday after some upsetting revelations.

She walked out of the courtroom, crying, as a witness started to describe an argument between her parents after a tabloid reported her dad's affair.

The former U.S. Senator faces charges of illegally using campaign contributions to cover up his affair with Rielle Hunter while running for president.

Former Edwards aide Christina Reynolds testified about the day in 2007 when John and Elizabeth Edwards learned of the National Enquirer's report.

They were at the airport, and "Elizabeth was very upset... She was very vocal," Reynolds said. "She stormed off and collapsed into a ball in the parking lot."

After aides helped Elizabeth Edwards get back to her feet and led her to a nearby restroom, "She seemed a little calmer," said Reynolds, "then stormed out of the bathroom and tried to engage Mr. Edwards."

In an emotional outburst, Elizabeth reportedly told her husband, "You don't see me any more," and tore off her shirt and bra on the spot.

John Edwards "didn't have much of a reaction."

Talk about a parting shot. Elizabeth Edwards cut her estranged, cheating husband John out of her will less than a week before passing away.

Elizabeth, who died last month after a courageous battle with breast cancer, left everything in her sole possession to their three children.

Cate Edwards, a 28-year-old lawyer and the pair's eldest child, was named as the executor of her mom's will, according to Inside Edition.

John Edwards was not mentioned even once in the document.

PERSONA NON GRATA: John probably had this one coming.

Edwards, who was 61, signed the document on December 1 - six days before she passed at her home in Chapel Hill, N.C., succumbing to breast cancer.

She and John were married for 33 years, but were estranged by the end after his affair and love child with Rielle Hunter - which he lied profusely about, and took place as Elizabeth was terminally ill and he was running for U.S. President.

Yup, that'll pretty much do a marriage in.

Don't worry, though. John being cut out of the will, while deserved, was symbolic for the most part. He and his $25 million net worth will be fine. How long you think until he and Rielle tie the knot? With this guy? A year max.

Rielle Hunter.

That name alone evoked anger and misery from Elizabeth Edwards until she passed away last week. Surprising? No. But the extent of the toll John Edwards' affair and illegitimate child took on his ailing wife is being revealed for the first time.

Interviewer Daphne Barak has kept this information secret until now, as Elizabeth requested. But now, in the wake of Eiizabeth's tragic death last week, she reveals specifically what happened when the scorned wife learned of John's cheating.

In March, Rielle Hunter posed half-dressed, with her baby daughter, in GQ, attacking Elizabeth and sending messages that she and John were still an item.

After years of being lied to, Elizabeth couldn't take it anymore.

For 75 minutes yesterday, Elizabeth Edwards, who died this week at age 61, was eulogized as smart, funny, authentic, outspoken and always optimistic.

Above all, she was passionate and a fierce lover of her family.

“She would do anything in the world to protect all of us, no matter the personal cost was to her,” said her daughter Cate Edwards, eulogizing Elizabeth.

The late Elizabeth Edwards (1949-2010).

"She has been a light house to all of us. She's always been that source of light to us. Every lesson she has taught us has become part of our ethic."

Her estranged husband, former Sen. John Edwards, joined more than 1,200 mourners at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Edenton, N.C.

The political wife, lawyer and author's close friend Hargrave McElroy and former UNC Law School classmate Glenn Bergenfield also spoke Saturday.

Unfortunately, the public memorial was not without controversy.

In the final days before Elizabeth Edwards' death, daughter Cate gave her mother the happiest of news: She was engaged to longtime sweetheart Trevor Upham.

The couple, who met as students at Princeton, got engaged over Thanksgiving after spending the holiday at the Edwards family's Chapel Hill, N.C., home.

"Elizabeth was thrilled," a close friend told People.

Cate Edwards with her late mother Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Edwards' funeral is today. Cate Edwards, 28, is expected to deliver a eulogy and Trevor Upham, a physician, will serve as one of the pallbearers.

Upham has said that Cate, an anti-discrimination lawyer in D.C., and her mother (also a lawyer) were alike in many ways: "They have the same quirks."

"They like the same things. I think they even hold their phones the same way."

Congratulations to Cate on this wonderful news, which surely made her mother thrilled and proud even in the circumstances of these past couple of weeks.

Elizabeth Edwards, the estranged wife of former Democratic presidential candidate and 2004 V.P. nominee John Edwards, died earlier this week at the age of 61.

Edwards passed away after a long battle with cancer, leaving behind three children. What should follow is a period of subdued mourning for a classy individual.

Alas, the Rielle Hunter rumors have already popped up, and now, the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church is dispatching members to protest her funeral.

Elizabeth Edwards (1949-2010).

The church has sparked controversy via confrontational, offensive demonstrations in the past, with "God Hates F*gs" becoming their unofficial calling card.

Another Westboro sign, "Thank God For Dead Soldiers," is frequently displayed at military funerals and has not surprisingly created its own share of outrage.

In a promotional flier for the upcoming protest, the church references John and Elizabeth Edwards's son Wade, who tragically died in a car crash in 1996.

As friends and family mourning the death of Elizabeth Edwards, one celebrity news site waited a whole 12 hours before working the Rielle Hunter angle.

The infamous mistress of John Edwards hopes she and the former Democratic presidential candidate can get married now, according to Radar Online.

A source close to Rielle Hunter says she "has been very patient" and "believes that John is her soul mate, and thinks they are going to get married."

Rielle Hunter in her bizarre GQ photo spread earlier this year.

To those who applauded her courage in dealing with John, who cheated on her and knocked up Rielle while Elizabeth battled cancer, this won't go over well.

At the time of Elizabeth Edwards' death, she was estranged from John. Radar's source revealed that Hunter has been closely watching Elizabeth's situation.

"She doesn't care about anyone but herself. She's been selfish and horrible this whole time, no matter what else has been said about her," the source said.

THG NOTE: That's pretty much all we've said about her.

Political leaders and Hollywood celebrities alike are paying tribute after the death of Elizabeth Edwards, who lost a six-year battle with cancer Tuesday.

The lawyer, author and mother of three was just 61.

Having separated from John Edwards after three decades of marriage and following his affair with Rielle Hunter, her passing is even more poignant.

Elizabeth Edwards (1949-2010).

The President of the United States, Barack Obama, said the following: "Michelle and I were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Elizabeth Edwards. This afternoon I spoke to Cate Edwards and John Edwards, and offered our family's condolences."

"I came to know and admire Elizabeth over the course of the presidential campaign. She was a tenacious advocate for fixing our health care system and fighting poverty, and our country has benefited from the voice she gave to the cause of building a society that lifts up all those left behind."

Elizabeth Edwards, a lawyer, best-selling author, mother of three and the wife of two-time presidential candidate John Edwards, died peacefully in her home.

She was 61. Just days after doctors advised her to suspend her cancer treatment, Elizabeth tragically succumbed after battling the disease for over six years.

Elizabeth Edwards was surrounded by friends and family in her last days, including John himself. She and John were estranged following the Rielle Hunter scandal.

R.I.P. Elizabeth Edwards (1949-2010).

Monday, Elizabeth posted what read like a farewell message on her Facebook page reading, "The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that."

"And yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human,"she added.

"But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that, I am grateful."