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E! True Hollywood Story: Sarah Duchess of York on Dec. 21

By April MacIntyre Nov 30, 2010, 16:48 GMT

02/12/2010 - Sarah Ferguson - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2010 - Naomi Campbell\'s Fashion Relief For Haiti – Runway - Bryant Park - New York City, NY, USA © Janet Mayer / PR Photos

New E! True Hollywood Story: Sarah Duchess of York premieres December 21, @ 10:00 PM ET/PT ON E!

“When you are a public figure, your figure is also public and there was a poll done once where they said 82% of people would rather sleep with a goat than Fergie and so you go straight to eat because you’re so emotional and upset that they could ever do that. And there starts the circle.” – Sarah Duchess of York

 On July 23, 1986, 300 million TV viewers were fixated on twenty-six-year-old Sarah Margaret Ferguson. In her one-of-a-kind wedding gown, Sarah walked into Westminster Abbey a commoner and emerged as the Duchess of York.

At that moment “Fergie” was the envy of women across the globe.  However, life since then for the Duchess has hardly been a fairy tale.  Her most recent in a long line of scandals involved a sting operation set up by the English newspaper, News Of The World. 

Robert Johnson, the Royal Editor of the publication sits down exclusively with E! to comment on the fiasco where Sarah was allegedly caught accepting money in exchange for access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew.

The brand new THS also features interviews with Allan Starkie, Sarah’s former financial advisor; Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty Magazine and past interviews with the Duchess herself. This fascinating look at the life of one of the world’s most recognizable figures, THS: Sarah Duchess of York, premieres on December 21 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT only on E!

“Sarah Ferguson is the sort of girl that should never, ever, ever have married into the royal family. It’s so unsuited for her personality,” Ingrid Seward explains to E!.  “She is a free spirit [but] insecurity, overeating and over-spending …covered up the good parts.” 

For the last two decades, Fergie has been no stranger to the harsh media spotlight.  She has been viciously criticized for her weight – some going so far as to dub her the ‘Duchess of Pork.’ She shocked royal-watchers with her love life, including the infamous “toe-sucking” incident involving a man who was not her husband.  The Duchess also raised eyebrows with her hapless money management.  “I remember … she ended up running up such an extraordinary bill that it took Bloomingdales till the next to day to actually calculate how much money was spent that afternoon,” recalls Starkie.  

For some, her most recent scandal involving the News Of The World sting is the final nail in the royal coffin.  “I believe that [this event] will probably keep her out of royal domains, royal circles probably for the rest of her life now,” said Russell Grant, royal astrologer.

Yet Sarah Ferguson has always found a way to pick herself up and brush off the dust.  Says Johnson, “She came from nowhere to marry a prince and then she went to lose all her money, to then make it all back again by becoming a business woman. She’s had a pretty amazing roller coaster ride.”

THS: Sarah Duchess of York premieres on December 21at 10:00 PM, only on E!

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