In tonight’s Nightline interview, Jesse James said he wanted to get caught cheating on wife Sandra Bullock. Check out the Jesse James Nightline interview in this Good Morning America video clip (the Nightline interview airs May 25).

When asked why he cheated, Jesse James explained that he wanted to get caught: “When I was doing it, you know, one, I knew it was horrible, it made me feel horrible. And two, I knew I would get caught eventually, and I think I wanted to get caught. … It was me trying to self-sabotage my life.”

James also admits that he really screwed up a good thing: “I took a pretty amazing life and amazing success and marriage and threw it away.”

Watch the Jesse James Nightline interview where he tries to set the record straight on cheating, his definite divorce from Sandra Bullock, his time in rehab, and raising the baby that he and Bullock adopted.

Jesse James says that he tried to protect her, but ultimately hurt her the most: “I’ve spent my whole life with the kids and with her trying to … protect her from everything, but the most hurt she’s ever been caused is by the person that wanted to protect her.”