Madoff remorseful for hurting family

Former stockbroker Bernie Madoff said he is regretful for how his $65 billion dollar Ponzi scheme hurt his families and friends, Barbara Walters told ABC's "Good Morning America" Thursday.

Interviewed by Walters in prison, Madoff said the guilt and public anger led Madoff to think about suicide before he was incarcerated, though he no longer does. Walters two-interviewed Madoff for two-hours where no cameras were allowed.

"I feel safer here than outside. I have people to talk to, no decisions to make. I know I will die in prison,” Walters quoted Madoff as saying. “I lived the last 20 years of my life in fear. Now, I have no fear because I'm no longer in control."

Mr. Madoff’s comments comes days before Ruth Madoff’s scheduled apperance on CBS’s “60 Minutes” Sunday–her first interview since her husband's arrest in December 2008. Mrs. Madoff said in excerpts from the interview that they attempted suicide after the public discovered Mr. Madoff was swindling thousands of investors.

GlobalPost: Madoff suicide pact: Wife says she and Bernard took pills

“We took pills,” Mrs. Madoff said. “It was very impulsive and I’m glad we woke up.”

Agence France-Presse reported Mr. Madoff was more regretful of the pain he brought to his family than anyone else:

AFP: "Not seeing my family and knowing they hate me" is the worst thing about being in prison, he said. "I betrayed them."

Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 federal felonies in March 2009 and was sentenced months later to 150 years in prison. 

VIDEO: Bernie Madoff and Wife's Suicide Pact