Ashley Madison hack: 19 Kids and Counting's Josh Duggar enters rehab after cheating scandal

Embattled reality TV star Josh Duggar, of 19 Kids and Counting, has entered a long-term treatment centre following a massive cheating scandal, his parents announced in a statement on 26 August. Duggar confessed to having an account on adultery website Ashley Madison, cheating on his wife and having an addiction to pornography last week.

"Yesterday Josh checked himself into a long-term treatment centre. For him it will be a long journey towards wholeness and recovery," a statement by his parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar read. "We pray that in this he comes to complete repentance and sincere change."

The Duggar family added that Josh's "wrong choices have deeply hurt his precious wife and children and have negatively affected so many others." The statement said the father of four "brought great insult to the values and faith we hold dear."

People reported that a source close to Josh and his wife Anna said the couple will remain together. "She is fully and permanently committed to her marriage and her children," the source told People. "Divorce is not even something that will be discussed."

As previously reported by IBTimes UK, Anna's brother Daniel Keller is adamant that his sister leave Josh and move in with him. Keller attacked Duggar via Facebook, calling him a "pig" on a Bible quote posted by Josh's sister Jessa Seewald. "She said she's staying where she's at. But I won't stop trying to get that pig out of our family," Keller said.

Duggar confessed to watching pornography and cheating on his wife after Gawker revealed he had a paid account on Ashley Madison on 20 August. His account was just one of more than 32 million accounts on the cheating website that were leaked in a hack by The Impact Team earlier in August.