Rachel Uchitel’s Emotional Interview About the Aftermath of the Tiger Woods Scandal

Rachel Uchitel is telling her side of the story for the first time in the new HBO special “Tiger,” after being referred to as Tiger Woods’ mistress for years.

Talking exclusively to “Extra’s” Billy Bush Thursday, Rachel explained why she is speaking out now. “I have been silent for over a decade now, and I felt that it was really important to me to speak only once in my life, because I have spent all these years letting people think what they want to think and say what they want to say,” she said. “I needed to take the shackles off and be able tell my story for me. I have spent years under the shame of what’s been going on.”

Bush pointed out, “People can say, 'Shame, shame, shame on you,' and then you can feel your own sense of shame,” asking, “Which one was more powerful in your life?” Rachel said, “I made a mistake, and that's for me to deal with, right? And that's the shame that I'm going to deal with personally. But, you know, it's one thing to then go for a decade of people wanting to shame me, and I wanted to set the record straight on what happened.”

Uchitel went on, “I am looking forward to this documentary coming out because it really does show that the media took the opportunity to blame me for someone else humiliating their wife.”

She told Billy, “And, you know, as you and I have discussed, one moment doesn't define your life… And I don't like to be branded as a mistress. I don't like to be branded as a homewrecker — that's not who I am. I'm a 45-year-old woman. I made one wrong turn 10 years ago… I didn't throw somebody down the stairs. I didn't kill someone. I made a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes.”

Rachel revealed the impact it has had on her life, saying, “The whole thing has made my life a living hell for the last 10 years, and I wanted to tell my story on HBO because I wanted people to see what really happened. I was not a mistress, and I was in a real relationship, and I want people to leave me alone about it. I made a bad decision. And I regret it, and I'm embarrassed about it and… my apology is to two people, not the world, two people.”

Getting emotional, she said, “And I wish people would be understanding about it, and maybe leave me alone, and maybe look inside themselves and realize that maybe they've made a mistake like that.” She said it affects her every day.

Billy commented, “I think about Monica Lewinsky, the only woman more vilified than you. Have you ever spoken to her? Have you ever connected with her?” Rachel answered, “I have, recently.”

Billy asked, “Recently — what was that interaction like? What did she say to you?” and Uchitel replied, “I have to keep that interaction private… She’s a very nice woman.”

Bush continued, asking if Tiger has “ever reached out to you to say anything positive or encouraging or apologetic or anything?” Rachel would only say, “I can't answer.”

Through tears, Rachel said, “I would just hope that maybe at this point, now that everybody knows my name, they might just maybe want to believe me a little bit. That I'm not that awful of a person and they could maybe give me a chance this time around.”