Billionaire businesswoman Oprah Winfrey who will be launching her own cable TV channel, OWN TV, on 1 January 2011 has reportedly offered Sarah Ferguson her own show. Sky News reported Fergie has made a number of appearances on Winfrey's programs, most recently on 28 May this year when she apologized to the world for asking for £500,000 ($860,000) in return for access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew.
The sting on Fergie was pulled off by a News of the World tabloid journalist - the very same "fake sheik" who had already stung Prince Edward’s wife, Sophie, and Princess Michael of Kent.
Oprah to Launch Own TV Cable Channel
Billionaire businesswoman Oprah is expanding her empire to launch her own cable channel in 2011 and has offered Sarah Ferguson a deal.
According to the Mail Online, Oprah Winfrey, whose new cable channel OWN TV will be an extension of her show – a journey of self-discovery and connecting people with their greatest potential “…feels Sarah Ferguson will be someone viewers of her new channel will be able to relate to on many levels – she’s a divorcee, a working mother, someone who has made some very public mistakes and a woman who, like Oprah, constantly battles with her weight.”
The Duchess who just can’t seem to keep on the straight and narrow ( or out of the spotlight), much to the distress of Queen Elizabeth, is presently struggling with debts of £2 million and she still lives with the Prince at his official resident Royal Lodge in Windsor, southern England.
Fergie's Appearance on Oprah in May
Ferguson now blames alcohol for the fact that she was swindled by the “sheik.” During Fergie's appearance on Oprah in May she admitted she had been drunk when she was taped by an undercover reporter accepting the money. Although she could not remember whether she had been drinking orange juice or wine.
The Duchess later returned the £27,000 ‘down payment’ she had received.
Prince Andrew Knew Nothing of Fergie's Plans
Prince Andrew said he knew nothing about his former wife's cash-for-access plan.
Tina Brown of the Daily Beast has empathy for the luckless Duchess. “Excoriating Fergie has been a British national sport for years. But I’ve always found her a sympathetic figure, with her mad bulging blue eyes and appalling taste in men, business partners, and just about everything. She’s generous and instinctively friendly, and you had to admire the way she ate the indignity of having to become an “ambassador” for Weight Watchers to pay the bills.”
The Duchess has spent a lot of time trying to reignite her career and image in the US, where she feels more accepted by the public.
The Oprah Winfrey Network, OWN TV is due to be launched on 1 January 2011.
Karen Lotter - Karen Lotter is a journalist and writer based in Durban, South Africa. She has written profiles, features, advertising copy, ...
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