By Breaking Celebrity News Staff

Ex-Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich left Thursday morning for Colorado’s Federal Correctional Institution Englewood, where he’ll begin serving his 14-year sentence after he was convicted last June on 18 counts of corruption, most famously an attempt to sell the Senate seat President Barack Obama left vacant when elected president.

The disgraced politician kept his head held high during a dramatic and emotional press conference outside his Chicago home Wednesday, where he admitted he has a "dark and hard journey" in front of him.