Apologized for "dissolute" past

Publisert 24.08.2001 00:51

"My adolescent rebellion was stronger than for many people and during that time I wanted to fight against that which everyone considered 'acceptable'," Tjessem Hoeiby said at a news conference, flanked by her fiancee.

"I led a dissolute life," she admitted.

Norwegian media have dug tirelessly into the past of Tjessem Hoeiby, a 28-year-old single mother, and numerous reports in tabloid newspapers have suggested that she was a user of illicit drugs, notably in the early 1990s when she was an active participant on the "house music" party scene.

Sometimes appearing to be on the edge of tears, Tjessem Hoeiby did not deny these insinuations but insisted that whatever her activities in the past she regarded them as just that -- the past.

"I was in an environment where many boundaries were pushed and broken and I am sorry for it.

"I have had experiences for which I have paid dearly. In order that there be no doubt on my position today, I would like to take this occasion to condemn drugs ... as much as I would like to I cannot take back the past."

Tjessem Hoeiby's marriage to Prince Haakon is scheduled to take place in Oslo on Saturday in a ceremony to be attended by numerous European royals.

AFP