Portsmouth (US): An exhausted Hillary Clinton fought back tears and her voice broke with emotion, as the strain of her damaged White House bid welled up and cracked steely public face.

In one of the few moments in her years on the political stage that her inner feelings have been exposed, Clinton, eyes moist and reddened, was asked by Marianne Pernold, 64,how she managed to keep on going every day.

"It's not easy, and I could not do it if I just didn't passionately believe it was the right thing to do," she said, at the end of a conversation with undecided voters in a coffee shop, a day ahead of the New Hampshire primary.

"I have had so many opportunities from this country, I just don't want us to fall backwards," Clinton said, as her voice dissolved into a whisper.

Then in one of the few insights the campaign has given into Clinton's inner character, she said: "This is very personal for me ... It is not just political, ... I see what's happening ... We have to reverse it."

"Some people think elections are a game," said the former first lady, her voice breaking again.

"It is about our country, it is about our kids futures," she said, in a moment which appeared unscripted and spontaneous.

Clinton mused about the challenges and sacrifices faced by her and fellow White House hopefuls on the gruelling campaign trail.

"Some of us put ourselves out there and do this against pretty difficult odds."

"We do it each one of us because we care about our country," said Clinton, whose campaign has made huge efforts to portray her as a loving person, at odds with a hardened public image.

Source : PTI