Gisele Fetterman describes it as a “miracle” that her marriage has endured.

In his latest book, “Unfettered,” Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman invited his wife to write her own chapter, emphasizing that she is the best person to recount their story. This comes after the couple faced challenges due to John’s rising political career and his battle with depression.

In her chapter, Gisele shares their early romance, offering candid insights, and discusses why she has remained committed to their 17-year marriage.

Gisele first learned about Fetterman while on a yoga retreat in Costa Rica in 2007. She came across an article highlighting his efforts to revitalize Braddock, Pennsylvania, where he was the mayor at the time.

A nutritionist and founder of a small non-profit in Newark, Gisele reached out to Fetterman, expressing her interest in visiting Braddock to learn more about his work, given their shared commitment to serving similar communities.

On his birthday, Fetterman called Gisele and invited her to visit. She accepted and traveled there in October, coinciding with an event he was hosting at his home with his parents.

‘There was wine and cheese. John and I stayed on the couch after it was over, just talking. I fell asleep and never used my hotel reservation,’ Gisele recalled. 

‘There was no sex that night, in case you were wondering,’ she revealed.

Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senator John Fetterman (left) is out with a new memoir, Unfettered, which also includes a chapter written mostly by his wife Gisele Fetterman (right) 

In the same chapter, with Fetterman taking back over the narration, the senator expresses shock that Gisele fell for him. 

‘How on earth did a woman like you end up in Braddock with someone like me?’ he asked. ‘I had dated in the past, but I’d never thought I would get married. It just didn’t mesh for me: I had always been something of a loner, used to doing things my way, and was not a great conversationalist.’

He also said he never thought he would have kids, yet the couple has three. 

‘I still don’t know and never will understand how you ended up with me,’ the senator wrote. ‘There are still moments when I think you are going to look at me and say, “I’m gone.” So why are you still here?’ he asked his wife. 

In the book, the Democratic senator writes at length about his 2022 run for the U.S. Senate, which was interrupted when he suffered a debilitating stroke. 

He admits that he likely should have dropped out of the race. 

And he candidly talks about the depression he suffered afterward, even after clinching a five-point victory against the Republican nominee, Dr. Mehmet Oz. 

The depression took a toll on his marriage, with Fetterman writing that during his stint at Walter Reed when he wasn’t supposed to have access to the internet, he snuck a look at the headlines on the iPad he was given to aid his auditory processing problems.

Gisele Fetterman (left) and Senator John Fetterman (right) are captured at the 2023 White House Correspondents’ Dinner 

He saw headlines that said Gisele had left the country.

Unfettered, the memoir of Democratic Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was released on Tuesday 

‘My brain once again caught fire: I was convinced Gisele had taken the kids to Brazil, where they all hold dual citizenship,’ he wrote. ‘It was only when she posted pictures of their trip that I realized they had actually been to Niagara Falls.’

‘She and the kids had not abandoned me for Brazil,’ the senator wrote. 

Gisele writes in her own words why she stayed in the marriage. 

‘We have three beautiful children together. You have a core of kindness. You like Paul Rudd and Metallica and The Simpsons and Dumb and Dumber,’ she said. ‘It is never a dull moment with you.’ 

She noted that ‘marriage is not a holiday’ and that it’s normal to get on your spouse’s nerves. 

Gisele also repeated an anecdote she shared in her own memoir – what she and John told their eldest son Karl when he asked his parents if they would ever get divorced. 

The senator gave an emphatic ‘no’ but Gisele gave a more open-ended answer. 

‘Maybe not the perfect answer, but the only answer I know,’ Gisele wrote in Unfettered. ‘It sometimes feels like a miracle we’re still standing. But here we are.’

Unfettered was released Tuesday.