Former NY Gov. David Paterson and wife split

New York Gov. David Paterson speaks during a news conference at Terminal 4 of JFK airport Friday, March 5, 2010 in New York. (AP)

NEW YORK – Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his wife have separated.

The split between the Democratic politician and wife Michelle Paige Paterson was first reported Saturday by the New York Post. Paterson representative Sean Darcy says the couple's decision was "mutual and amicable."

The couple's relationship was in the public eye from the day he took office in 2008. He immediately admitted one affair in an interview and the next day appeared at a press conference with his wife, where both admitted having affairs at a time when their marriage was heading toward divorce.

The revelations followed on the heels of the sex scandal that felled Paterson's predecessor. Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned from office after he was accused of spending thousands of dollars on high-end prostitutes.