Sarah Palin Learned of Husband's Divorce Plans via Email: 'I Thought I Got Shot'

Sarah Palin says she found out her husband of 31 years, Todd Palin, was seeking a divorce via an email from his attorney.

The former governor of Alaska and 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate made the claim during a recent interview with Dr. James Dobson, founder of the Family Talk Christian ministry, saying she received the email on June 19 -- "I'll never forget it" -- almost three months before Todd officially filed in September, on his birthday. Court docs previously revealed Todd cited "incompatibility of temperament" and that "they find it impossible to live together as husband and wife."

Sarah, who admitted the topic was "not easy to talk about," said she was devastated by the filing, which came a week after the couple's wedding anniversary. "I thought I got shot," she said. "I just think, 'Wow, maybe except the death of a child, I don't know what could be more [hurtful].' Yeah, it hurts."

Despite Todd's filing, Sarah says their marriage "is not over over" and told Dobson that they're "going through counseling."

When Dobson asked how people could pray for her, Sarah said "the prayer would be for, of course, God's will to be done, but that God would make sure that we know that the grass isn't always greener on the other side."

"But it still has to be mowed," Dobson interrupted. "And it still has to be mowed, yeah!" she repeated.

Sarah later said God doesn't want families to split up, adding that "marriage is so extremely important as foundation of our nation. It helps make America that much greater, is that security of family. And I'm not to the point of wanting mine to be split."

Sarah told Dobson she felt there had "been a lull" in this last year for her and that going through a divorce would be made much more difficult if the media were "hounding" her. She said she felt God was "protecting" her in that way.

"Maybe that's one of the reasons that God has me kind of out [of the public eye lately]. Yeah, the lull, come to think of it. Maybe that's why God has had [the media] not be so interested lately," she said, "because He knew it was coming."

Sarah, who was the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee, resigned as governor in 2009. She and Todd share five children, who Sarah claims are "mad" and anti-divorce, which "helps" her case.

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