As he tearfully confessed at a press conference last night to being unfaithful to his wife, Mark Sanford, the Governor of South Carolina, may have imagined that his embarrassment was complete. He would have been wrong.

Hours later the humiliation deepened when a South Carolina newspaper published a string of emails between Mr Sanford and Maria, his lover in Buenos Aires.

In an excruciating series of messages written in July 2008, days after consummating his relationship with a woman he claims he had known only as a friend for eight years, the lovestruck Governor tries to explain his feelings.

"I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificently gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curves of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of night's light - but hey, that would be going into the sexual details we spoke of at the steakhouse at dinner - and unlike you I would never do that!" burbles Mr Sanford.

He promises Maria a present, but warns: "I do not want to raise expectations, when I say I will send something insignificant I promise I will do as I say! It won't be worthy of bedside placement... was just going to find the movie the Holiday as we had spoken of it last Thursday."

Then he tries to lower his new love's expectations by explaining that he won't be able to see her again for several months because of his packed diary.

"The following weekend have been asked to spend it out in Aspen, Colorado, with McCain - which has kicked up the whole VP talk all over again in the press back home," he boasts. (He was pipped to the nomination by Sarah Palin.)

As a consolation he offers to introduce Maria's elder son to some "film guys that might help his career etc".

Maria replies that she does not want to let him go, but offers: "Before our mails use to have other contents... if you want to go back to that and don't write love things and so on because is not safe for you it's ok with me, i love you and by no way would do something that can harm you, so please let me know."

The emails were leaked anonymously to The State newspaper in South Carolina as long ago as last December, but the paper did not publish them until yesterday afternoon. John O'Connor, a reporter, defended the delay, saying that the paper had had no proof of their authenticity until Mr Sanford's confession.

The identity of the leaker is unknown, although they were reportedly forwarded from the Governor's personal email account. Mr Sanford has revealed that his wife Jenny first found out about the affair at about the same time.

Mr Sanford's office has not disputed that the emails are authentic, according to The State.

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