I was in gutter Duchess tells Oprah Winfrey

The Duchess of York told chat show queen Oprah Winfrey she had been drinking before she offered access to her ex-husband for cash.

By The Newsroom

Published 1st Jun 2010, 00:16 BST

Updated 1st Jun 2010, 00:16 BST

A clip from the interview, to be aired today, has been released which shows Sarah Ferguson claiming she was "in the gutter" when she was caught out by an undercover reporter.

Secretly-filmed News of the World footage appears to show the Duchess, 50, offering a reporter access to the Duke of York in return for 500,000.

In the footage released to People magazine, she tells Winfrey: "I haven't faced the devil in the face because I was in the gutter at that moment.

"So I'm aware of the fact that I've been drinking, you know, that I was not in my right place."

She also claims she is yet to see the full video of her meeting with the reporter.

On Saturday, she flew back from the US for a reunion with her daughters and ex-husband.

The Queen's former daughter-in-law has thrived in the US where she has been able to establish a range of business interests before her recent money worries.