The weight of a multi-billion dollar investment scheme exposed in late 2008 caused convicted felon Bernard Madoff and his wife, Ruth to attempt suicide, she says.

In an exclusive interview with CBS “60 Minutes,” Ruth opened up about her attempted suicide on Christmas Eve of that year.

"I don't know whose idea it was, but we decided to kill ourselves because it was so horrendous what was happening," Ruth Madoff said in the interview to air on Sunday. "We had terrible phone calls. Hate mail, just beyond anything and I said '...I just can't go on anymore.'"

According to Madoff, she and Bernard took a bunch of pills – some Ambien and some Klonopin.

Madoff’s son, Mark, did commit suicide in December 2010, following mounting pressures following his father’s arrest for the ponzi scheme that swindled about $18 billion dollars from investors. Initial estimates had placed the losses at $65 billion.