Patti Does Reality TV to Keep "Things As Normal As Possible" for Daughters

By Kalyn Belsha in News on May 24, 2009 5:00PM

In an interview with the Sun-Times, Patti Blagojevich says the only reason she will be appearing on the NBC reality television show “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here,” airing in June, is for her children. She says finding a normal job right now would be impossible due to the bad economy and attention she’s received in connection with corruption charges against her husband.

“It’s harder when you’ve gotten notoriety attached to you,” she told the Sun-Times.

Patti says she’s looking at this job as any other -- one that will pay the bills. While it is yet unknown how much her NBC contract is worth, the network had previously offered her husband as much as $123,000 to appear, before a judge forced him to turn the offer down. The Sun-Times reports the Blago household faced large credit-card bills even before both heads of house were fired from their jobs in January. The Blagojevich family homes in Illinois and Washington, D.C. both face seizure by the government.

“The big challenge is keeping things as normal for them [her daughters] as possible,” Patti told the Sun-Times. “That's why I’m doing the show. We're going to try as hard as we can to keep them in the same school they’ve been in since they were toddlers, to keep that kind of stability in their lives. That's why I would consider anything like that.”

The Blagojevich daughters, Amy and Anne, attend Rogers Park Montessori School. Tuition is more than $10,000 per student each year.

In the same interview, when asked if the ongoing probes had affected her relationship with her husband, Patti’s response was a resounding, “no.”

“What do they say? Rich or poor, sickness and in health?" Patti said. “Through thick and thin. You're married. You made a commitment to someone. I love my husband. He's a devoted husband, a great father. He's loyal, hardworking. I don't see why these circumstances -- which were wholly beyond our control, rained down on us -- would affect our relationship.” [S-T]