Celebrity Mound

The disgraced presidential wannabe asked mistress Rielle Hunter to marry him — and he’s moving her into a $3.5 million North Carolina beachfront manse, according to the National Enquirer.

“John has proposed to Rielle, and she said yes,” a source said.

A flack for the truth-challenged Edwards yesterday dismissed the report as “absolutely untrue.” But Edwards once denied his affair with Hunter, and also denied he fathered little Frances Quinn, who is 2 years old. Edwards, now separated from cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth, copped to being the child’s daddy last month, just ahead of a searing tell-all about the affair.

Meanwhile, Star magazine reports that Edwards was not the only man in Hunter’s life. She had an affair withactor Jeff Goldblum — and even “led him on” to believe he might be Quinn’s father. Goldblum, who “was in love” with Hunter, assumed the child was his, Star quotes a source. “He asked her. She would only say, ‘Maybe.’ She kept him guessing.” Goldblum eventually wised up and dumped Hunter.

John Edwards’ wife, Elizabeth, has finally left her cheating husband – but not before lavishing his love child with gifts.

According to a source close to Elizabeth, the disgraced politician and his missus have at last legally separated, and Edwards no longer lives at their North Carolina home. Edwards calls the separation “an extraordinarily sad moment,” but the marriage isn’t finished yet: Under state law, they can’t file for divorce until they’ve been separated a year.

We’re guessing that’ll seem like a long time for cancer-stricken Elizabeth, who’s already endured more than two years of embarrassment since reports of her husband’s infidelity began leaking in October 2007. Elizabeth, now 60, stood by Edwards, 56, when rumors of his fling with a videographer spread – along with whispers of a love child.

Edwards, finally admitted last week to fathering Frances Quinn, now almost 2 – and a juicy book on his affair with the baby mama, Rielle Hunter, is about to hit the shelves. So how much more can one woman take? Not much, according to Elizabeth’s sister.

“She said, ‘I’ve had it. I can’t do this. I want my life back,’” Nancy Anania reveals to People magazine. “She’s got cancer and has young children and totally believes in marriage, but she can only do so much.”

But apparently Elizabeth hasn’t let exasperation or anger get the best of her. Last month, she showered the child, known as Quinn, with Christmas gifts in a North Carolina hotel room. She even snapped pictures of the tot with Edwards.

“She gave it a lot of thought, wrapped up a bunch of Christmas presents, took them to the baby and was so pleased when Quinn made a beeline to the toy carriage and doll,” Anania says. “She even said to Quinn, ‘Go stand next to Daddy.’ And she took a picture. I don’t know how she could do that. She just has a big heart.”

Elizabeth has reportedly had divorce papers ready for a year now. So why did the legal separation come now?

Edwards confidante Michael Cucchiara says the couple is – not surprisingly – struggling with trust issues.

“John feels like, ‘I can’t live with you checking my cell phone, asking who I was with, where I went. That’s not how I want to live the rest of my life,’” Cucchiara dishes. “I think they realized she still doesn’t trust him and, therefore, they shouldn’t live together until she can.”