New York, Sept. 19 : Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards in her first interview since her husband''s admitted affair, says trust and forgiveness remain elusive in her fractured 31-year marriage.

"When you mention trust, that''s probably the most difficult issue," the New York Daily News quoted Elizabeth as telling the Detroit Free Press.

The 59-year-old Edwards, battling terminal breast cancer, declined to say if she had forgiven her wayward spouse: "I don''t want to feed the monster, if you don''t mind."

She offered an analogy as an explanation: If she suffered a leg amputation, Edwards said, people wouldn''t ask, "Are you over that leg yet?"