FBI Tapes Reveal Runaway Bride Tale

June 4, 2005— -- Audio tapes of runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks' first interview with FBI officials after her alleged abduction reveal details of the story Wilbanks fabricated and later recanted under pressure from authorities.

"Good Morning America" obtained the tapes and aired them exclusively this morning.

After Wilbanks first described how she did not physically resist as her female abductor removed her clothes and sexually assaulted her, FBI officials called Wilbanks' bluff.

She then admitted to having cold feet about her impending wedding.

"I just cracked under all this pressure and I just, I mean, I couldn't do it all," Wilbanks admitted. "I couldn't, and have the perfect wedding that everybody thought that I was supposed to have."

The so-called runaway bride said she realized just days before her wedding there was no way she could get everything done in time.

"I've got to get my pedicure and manicure done," Wilbanks said. "I've got to pack for this honeymoon, and I don't even know where I'm going. Blah, blah, blah. I was like, there's no absolute way I'm going to get all this done."

Wilbanks also confessed she was scared to marry John Mason, fearful she would not be a good-enough wife or would be unable to make the marriage work.

When asked why she fabricated the alleged sexual assault, Wilbanks said she felt pressure from family members on calls home, as they repeatedly asked her if she had been hurt.

Wilbanks sparked a nationwide hunt for her after she fled her hometown of Duluth, Ga., just days before her 600-person wedding. She took a bus to Las Vegas, eventually making her way to Albuquerque, N.M., where she contacted authorities and told them she had been abducted and sexually assaulted.

Wilbanks was sentenced this week to probation, community service and a $2,500 fine for lying to authorities. With her fiance by her side in court, Wilbanks tearfully expressed regret for her actions and thanked all those involved in her search.