Former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, said that his father counseled him not to worry about hurting the family's "public profile" when it came to his private life, which includes divorcing his wife and engaging in an affair with his late brother Beau's widow, Hallie.

"Even though my life has been played out in the media, because I am a Biden, my father never once suggested that the family’s public profile should be my priority. The priority has always been clear for my dad, as it is, now, for me: Never run from a struggle. Love people and find a way to love yourself," Hunter Biden, 48, said in a letter to Vanity Fair.

The younger Biden's letter was in response to a magazine profile of the former vice president, a top contender for the potential 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. The article noted Hunter's ugly 2017 divorce from his wife, Kathleen, following 23 years of marriage and three children as a potential image problem for the family.

Kathleen initiated the break-up, citing irreconcilable differences in a D.C. Court filing. She claimed in divorce papers that he had spent "extravagantly on his own interests (including drugs, alcohol, prostitutes, strip clubs and gifts for women with whom he has sexual relations), while leaving the family with no funds to pay legitimate bills."

Hunter was discharged from the Navy Reserve, where he had been working as a public affairs officer, in 2014 after he tested positive for cocaine. In response to Kathleen's filing, Hunter's lawyers demanded that she furnish any letters, emails, or other messages "between you and any person that you had a romantic or sexual relationship with other than your husband during the marriage."

After the filing became public, Hunter Biden acknowledged that he had become involved with Hallie Biden, the widow of his brother Beau. It is unclear when the relationship between the two began. Beau Biden, the former attorney general for the Bidens' home state of Delaware, died of brain cancer in 2015 at the age of 46.

Hunter Biden said at the time, "Hallie and I are incredibly lucky to have found the love and support we have for each other" and that "family and friends ... have supported us every step of the way.”

In response to the Vanity Fair inquiry about his affair, Hunter Biden said: "What you fail to realize, in asking such a question, is that my father has always been proud of me — whether when I was volunteering for the Jesuits, or working as a lawyer. And he remains proud of me today. He loves me. And he loves the American people far too much to let any form of adversity stand in the way of service.”

Joe Biden issued a statement backing his son. "We are all lucky that Hunter and Hallie found each other as they were putting their lives together again after such sadness. They have mine and Jill’s full and complete support, and we are happy for them," he said.

Hunter Biden told Vanity Fair that his father would not let the controversy be a factor in whether he decides to officially seek the presidency again. "[H]e remains proud of me today. He loves me. And he loves the American people far too much to let any form of adversity stand in the way of service," he said.

He sought to portray the controversy as one of the several tragedies the Biden family has endured. "Pain is one of the unavoidable facts of life. We Bidens have had our share. We don’t pretend, otherwise. And we don’t pretend that we are different from families all over America that have to face the loss of loved ones, or have to deal with the fallout of divorces," Hunter Biden said.

Joe Biden, who will be 78 years old in 2020, is an early front-runner in the Democratic primary. He has sought the presidency numerous times previously, mounting his first bid in 1984. His 1988 bid was derailed over a controversy regarding whether he plagiarized a speech. He also ran unsuccessfully in 2008 but was picked by President Barack Obama to be his running mate.