CHICAGO, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Governor of U.S. state of Missouri Eric Greitens has acknowledged being "unfaithful" to his marriage but denied allegations that he blackmailed a woman to stay quiet.

"A few years ago, before Eric was elected governor, there was a time when he was unfaithful in our marriage ... This was a deeply personal mistake. Eric took responsibility, and we dealt with this together honestly and privately," Greitens and his wife Sheena said in a statement released Wednesday.

Local media reported that Greitens had a sexual relationship with his former hairdresser in 2015, and the woman's ex-husband alleged Greitens photographed her nude and threatened to publicize the images if she spoke about the affair.

Greitens vehemently denied that he had resorted to blackmail.

Greitens was elected as Missouri Governor in November 2016. The Greitens married in 2011 and have two sons.