Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has revealed that his former wife of 26 years has still not accepted his apology after his affair with a PR adviser ended their marriage in 2010.
Huhne split with economist Vicky Pryce after his relationship with aide Carina Trimingham was revealed in the press.
Speaking in an Observer interview with Andrew Rawnsley at the Liberal Democrat party conference, Huhne said that he regretted "enormously" that he had put his wife through the ordeal.
He also suggested that his phone may have been hacked to break the story.
Huhne also used the interview to again deny that he asked his wife to accept speeding penalty points on his behalf in 2003, a matter now under investigation by Essex Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
"Frankly it was an appalling set of circumstances," Huhne said. "In retrospect I can see that I was running some substantial risks, for example, in what I was doing, politically, as well.
"So in the run up to the election I was the first front-bencher to call for a judicial inquiry into the phone hacking scandal. And of course the newspaper that put people on to me and broke the story about the affair was the News of the World. So we'll have to see in the great span of things what the conclusions are from all of that.
"But I personally feel enormously regretful about what I put my family through and what happened with Vicky. I entirely understand the stress that she has been caused by this, she is a very private person, she has not traditionally been out there in public doing lots of things, unlike me as somebody who opted to be in public life. And I think it's been absolutely dreadful and I regret that enormously."
Rawnsley then asked if Huhne had apologised to his wife.
"Yes," Huhne replied.
"Has she accepted your apology?"
"No."
"Do you you think she ever will?"
"I don't know. I am always hopeful that time heals but…"
"She's still very angry."
"She is still very angry."
Huhne's wife had been attending events at the LibDem conference until today, when her former husband made his keynote speech to delegates. Huhne made his first public appearance with Trimmingham, who is now his partner, earlier this month.
Asked about the speeding points investigation, Huhne said he had "no idea" how many times he had exceeded the speed limit in his life other than "too many times", having previously lost his license.
However the energy secretary denied, as he has done previously, that he had asked anybody to accept points on his behalf.
"I am delighted to say that there is an official inquiry into all of this stuff and I hope this is going to draw a line under it," he said. "One thing I am not prepared to do after my experience with The Sunday Times is have trial by media…"
"Oh you're expecting a criminal trial then?" asked Rawnsley.
"No," replied Huhne. "I am expecting - and I hope - that the results of the investigation will draw a line under the whole matter."
"If you were charged would you resign from the cabinet?" Rawnsley pressed.
"Well we will have to wait and see but I don't foresee that as a likely outcome," Huhne replied.
After another categorical denial of the allegations Huhne drew applause from the audience of LibDem activists.
Huhne also revealed in the interview that he currently owned "a mere four" houses, having made millions as an investment banker after working as a journalist for 19 years and before going into politics.