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During the ensuing years, Hunter claimed to have spent a lot of money attending spiritual retreats and by May 2004, was tired of it, according to her Breathe Magazine conversation with McInerney. She said in that state of despair she had an awakening that was so startling — “For weeks after I couldn’t even leave my house.”

By the end of 2004, Hunter had started a foundation promoting higher consciousness, and set up a Web site: beingisfree.org, in which she posted the Breathe Magazine story, photos of herself and other spiritual seekers, including a swami, an astrologer and a Malibu healer.

Three of those people contacted by The News & Observer during the past nine months said they hadn’t seen Hunter in years and didn’t know enough about her to be interviewed.

The site was taken down soon after the first National Enquirer article was published, in October.

A brief meeting

In 2006, Edwards was widely seen as a likely presidential candidate but he had not yet formally declared his intentions. At an event with supporters and donors at a New York City restaurant, Hunter introduced herself to some of Edwards’ staff and gave them her business cards, saying she was a producer, and was allowed to briefly meet Edwards, according accounts given by Hunter and Edwards’ staff.

Less than a month later, she and her video production company, Midline Productions, had a six-month contract worth more than $100,000 to produce a series of videographed “Webisodes” following Edwards on the campaign trail, which included trips to Africa and Iowa. The videos were posted on Edwards’ political action committee. They have since returned to the Internet on YouTube.

“He was very authentic. He was inspirational to me,” Hunter told the TV program Extra in February 2007. “I was around him a lot. It was great. We went to Africa. The whole experience was life altering for me.”

She said she was ignorant of politics, and added, “Politics makes Hollywood look like a spiritual community.”

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