Hillary Clinton has revealed she wanted to “curl up” and “not leave the house” as she laid bare her devastation following her shock election loss to Donald Trump.
The Democratic presidential candidate appeared weary as she made her first public appearance at an event in Washington since her concession last week.
Mrs Clinton, 69, urged her disappointed supporters “America is worth it” as she spoke of her personal struggle to come to terms with her crushing defeat last Tuesday.
The former First Lady lost the electoral vote 232-306 in favour of now-President-elect Donald Trump in what was viewed as a stunning upset.
Addressing the audience at the Children's Defense Fund's Beat The Odds Gala at Newseum, she said: “I will admit, coming here tonight wasn't the easiest thing for me.
"There have been a few times this past week where all I wanted to do was curl up with a good book and our dogs and never leave the house again."
“I know many of you are deeply disappointed about the results of the election - I am, too, more than I can ever express.
"But as I said last week, our campaign was never about one person or even one election."
“I know this isn't easy. I know that over the past week a lot of people have asked themselves whether America is the country we thought it was.
"The divisions laid bare by this election run deep. But please listen to me when I say this: America is worth it. Our children are worth it.”
