Mayor-President Josh Guillory, wife give sit down interview to address rehab stint, abuse accusations and more

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- Hours after his press conference Monday, Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory and his wife Jamie are speaking candidly about his rehab stint and moving forward from this point.

The Guillory's chose to address those issues and more in a sit-down interview conducted by KLFY Anchor Darla Montgomery.

During the exclusive reporting, the questioning got right to the Mayor-President admitting his struggles with alcohol, his 21-day stint in rehab and accusations surrounding his wife's company.

"We can't guarantee certain things on our own volitions, so we have to turn it over if you want success. The other option is not to drink, and I'm ok with that."

Jamie Guillory then addressed what she referred to as allegations of abuse.

"You know you hear in the media there was this big blow up or like I was abused or he was violent, that was never the case. I mean, it was just a decision that he made and I wasn't expecting it at all."

Jamie is a professional counselor who says she supports and is proud of her husband for taking action at a facility he did not want to disclose to protect privacy rights.

The Mayor-President did however discuss the length of his treatment in rehab.

"It was 21 days, 7 plus 7 plus 7 equals 21."

According to our reports, Guillory entered rehab on July 25 and on Friday, August 12 returned to Lafayette after he "successfully completed treatment."

And while he admits the battle is not over for him, he says this was a first step.

"I hope to inspire veterans and others."

Experts we spoke with told us "Rehab is not a 21 day fix, rather it is consistent work that requires a lifetime commitment. Detox they said is abstaining from addictive behavior to allow the body to omit toxins like drugs and alcohol within a 21 to 28 day period."

And it was during his reported 21 days that many questioned how could he do his job effectively, like communicate with his administration and council members, leading others to ask for proof of his stay in rehab.

In moving forward, the couple also answered to published reports questioning possible ethics violations about a company Guillory says his wife owns called WM&N.

"It's a company that we discussed starting after a hurricane to get supplies and equipment to people who needed it most, it's under my name and we in no certain terms are dealing with any companies involved in government contracts."

Because he is also an attorney, we asked the Mayor-President about performing legal services, and his job as an instructor at UL Lafayette.

We ended Part. 1 of the interview with both Josh and Jamie Guillory sharing some thoughts as they look to the future together.