Donna Rice Hughes, the model who many believe killed Gary Hart's chances of becoming president when it was revealed the two were having an affair, is back in the spotlight with the release of The Front Runner.

The film stars Jackman as Gary Hart, the lawyer and Kansas senator who was the front-runner in the 1988 Democratic primary until reports of that extramarital affair with Rice began to circulate.

Those reports were accompanied by a now infamous picture of Hart that showed Rice sitting on his lap while he wore a shirt that said 'Monkey Business Crew.'

What people did not know however was that Rice was also working as a pharmaceutical salesperson at that time and an accomplished college graduate who was much more than a pretty face.

And in a interview with the People, the 60-year-old grandmother and Trump-supporter explains that the 'unhealthy choices' she made in her 'prodigal 20s' were the result of a date rape that occurred right after college.

Rice did not give any more details about that assault, but did previously writer in an essay last year: 'I survived childhood sexual abuse and a date rape at age 22.'

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Her story: Donna Rice Hughes (above in 2011) is speaking out ahead of the release of The Front Runner, which details her affair with presidential hopeful Gary Hart

Mayday: Hart, played by Hugh Jackman in the film, dropped out of the race soon after photos emerged of Rice sitting on his lap while he wore a Monkey Business shirt (above)

Bathing beauty: The former University of South Carolina cheerleader was 29 when she began dating Hart, then 54, and said she had no idea he was married at the time (Rice above in her 20s)

Divine connection: Rice (above with Pope Francis) regained her strength through faith and in 1992 launched Enough is Enough, which aims is to make the Internet safer for families and children

Rice, who has been married to husband Jack Hughes for 25 years, said that she had no idea that Hart was still with his wife or making a bid for the White House when she agreed to a date with the politician.

'I would've never gone out with him had I known,' she explained.

The relationship between Hart and the former University of South Carolina cheerleader quickly progressed, with a group trip to the Bahamas and later a weekend at Hart's DC townhouse.

It was The Miami Herald that broke the story after following Rice from Miami to DC on an anonymous tip claiming that she would be spending the weekend at Hart's townhouse.

Donna and husband Jack Hughes on their wedding day in the early 90s (above)

That turned out to be true, and it was later revealed that the pair had met in Aspen just five months earlier at a party Rice was attending with her then-boyfriend, Don Henley.

'I was blindsided and thrown into the media feeding frenzy,' said Rice.

'I couldn't go home and I felt I was put on trial.'

She then added: 'The media fixated on me for the next 18 months. My reputation was destroyed worldwide. I hit rock bottom.'

Rice and Hart both denied having a sexual relationship, but the scandal only grew when The National Enquirer ran a photo of the pair in the Bahamas that showed Rice sitting on Hart's lap.

The two had been out on a yacht earlier in the day and Hart was wearing one of the shirts he got onboard which said: 'Monkey Business Crew.'

It was when The Washington Post informed Hart that a story detailing his relationship with a woman while he was separated from his wife was set to run in the paper that he made the decision to end his campaign.

Hart dropped out of the race only to rejoin a few months later, but ultimately lost the nomination to Michael Dukakis.

Rice said that she later learned it was two of her close friends who outed her, with one tipping off the Herald that she was going to DC and the other selling her photo to the Enquirer.

Jackman stars as Gary Hart (above) in The Front Runner

‹ Slide me › Hart's long-suffering wife Lee (right in 1987) is played by Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga (left)

‹ Slide me › Hart's daughter Andrea (right in 1987) is played by Kaitlyn Dever (left)

‹ Slide me › Hart's campaign manager and good friend Bill Dixon (left in 1987) i splayed by JK Simmons (right)

In the wake of the scandal, Rice disappeared from the public eye, reemerging in 1992 when she launched the non-profit lobbying group Enough Is Enough, which aims is to make the Internet safer for families and children.

Rice said that she had low expectations when she went to a screening of the film in August, but was pleasantly surprised after watching the movie.

'It's been 31 years,' she told People.

'But as a 60-year-old grandmother watching it on film now, I was moved with great compassion for the 29-year-old person that was me.'

Reitman is also credited as a co-writer on the project alongside Hillary Clinton's former press secretary Jay Carson and Matt Bai.

The screenplay was adapted from Bai’s 2014 book All the Truth Is Out.

That book took a look at how the tabloid media managed to infiltrate politics for the first time in the United States through the lense of Hart's campaign and the impact it had on those around him.

As a result, there are a number of fascinating and juicy details that the film will be able to explore, meaning that Jackman is not the only actor who could be up for awards consideration in the film.

Vera Farmiga, who earned an Academy Award nomination for her work in Reitman's 2009 film Up In the Air, plays Lee in the film.

Lee was one of the first political spouses to endure the intense media spotlight after being cuckqueaned, a decade before Hillary Clinton stood by her husband's side on the national stage amidst reports of infidelity and affairs.

Hart's campaign manager Bill Dixon meanwhile is played by Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons.

It was Dixon who was Hart's biggest champion throughout the scandal, believing that the presidential hopeful had too much integrity for rumors of an affair to cause any problems in the race and all but ignoring the media reports.

And in what could turn out to be a breakthrough performance, Sara Paxton is the model and campaign aide whose relationship with Hart led to his downfall.

Paxton, 29, has been working in the industry for the past two decades, most notably in the horror films The Last House on the Left and The Innkeepers as well as the much publicized but quickly cancelled series The Beautiful Life alongside Mischa Barton.

Rice eventually regained her strength through faith she explained, turning down lucrative offers along the way like $1 million to pose in Playboy.

'I chose not to exploit the situation,' she said.

'I wanted to take the high road. My prayer was to make my paint count for something.'