332 replies to this topic

[lola212005]

Sarah, Duchess of York now has her own reality show.


From OWN

Candid and unprecedented, the six-part television docu-series Finding Sarah documents Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York's emotional struggle to rebuild her life.

Tune in Sunday, June 12th at 9/8c, only on OWN.

There is a video if you click on the link. I can't wait to watch this and see what she has to say about Royal life, her relationship with Diana, her family.

Edited by lola212005, May 18, 2011 @ 1:57 AM.

[utenafreak]

As soon as I saw the commercial for this on OWN, I started looking for the forum page...happy to see one up so quick! I really want to watch this as well, here's hoping that she is not overly scripted and rehearsed.

[lu1wml]

I'm still sitting here astounded that she didn't think taking over $500k for introducing someone to Prince Andrew was a bribe. And from her response, she accepts from the response it got, that it was, and was bad, but still doesn't see why.
I missed bits of this, but did Suze ever get an answer to how much money she has, and how much she owes.

Edited by lu1wml, Jun 28, 2011 @ 1:43 PM.

[goldensglitter]

Desperate financial issues create desperate measures to try and fix them. You can't see or think very far. Moral compasses are out the window. I see it every day in real estate. Sarah seems genuine and honest. Her daughters seem like they are terrific girls.

Sarah never spilled the beans on how much money she had when she divorced nor how much she owes. I can only imagine the royal family in meltdown over this series.

[tigsun]

I have to catch this. I am sure it will be on 50 million times. The bits and pieces on interviews I have caught she goes on and on about how wonderful Andrew was/is. Why did they get divorced?

[queasy]

Poor Sarah. To be so beat down and emotionally drained and then to have to sit through sessions with Dr. Phil. Cruel and unusual!

[Maire]

I just keep feeling like there is something "off" about SF. I can't put my finger on it.

[hoosier]

Fergie is really a mess. I feel so bad that it's come to a show on the OWN. Is nothing sacred?

Wishing her joy and truth. Apart from the fa-ca-ca on the OWN.

[selhars]

Saw the show and liked it. Sarah really does seem to WANT to figure herself out. I would like some straight answers about how broke she was, which Suze never did get answers to (or it was edited out).

Also, IF Dr. Phil pressed her on why she didn't think selling access to Andrew was morally wrong, we didn't see her answer on film. ANd if she didn't think she was selling access, what did she think she WAS doing when she said the money would 'open doors.'

[javajeanelaine]

What a sad, sad woman who had so much at one time.

[blubld43]

I had forgotten that her mother left like that; also that her Mom was decapitated in the accident that killed her.
I think the point, Dr. Phil, is that it doesn't matter how "lucky" she is that she has her ex husband to take care of her. She's so obviously seriously depressed; someone give her some medication!
I do wish she'd take responsibility for her actions though; of course taking money for access to your ex husband was a bribe!

[ish]

If she said she was "trapped" by the newspaper one more time I was going to scream. She doesn't grasp that what she did was wrong. She doesn't need medication, she needs to get off whatever it is she is taking or start taking the right stuff.

She's doing this show for money and attention the same as the new show with Ryan (UGH!) O'Neal and Tatum. I doubt she'll make any major changes in her life, I don't get the sense that she is too bright. Her kids seem very nice though, sad they feel responsible for her. I'd love to get Andrew's take on this mess.

[lu1wml]

If she said she was "trapped" by the newspaper one more time I was going to scream. She doesn't grasp that what she did was wrong. She doesn't need medication, she needs to get off whatever it is she is taking or start taking the right stuff.

No, doesn't get it. The UK laws may be different from the ones in the US, but over here, there are congressmen who've gone to prison for doing what she did. You were caught in a sting, Sarah.
The girls do seem nice.
For all her sad childhood, I'd bet that while she was getting her pictures in the tabloids for her escapades, her girls were at home with nannies.

[southeastmom]

I'm there for royalty documentaries,so this was the first time that I have watched an OWN show. There seems to be a template for these OWN shows though from the promos I've seen. Talk to Oprah-approved "experts", acknowledge your pain and engage in "freeing" activities ( parachutes, hikes, etc).

I am not sure that any of this will help Sarah find or free herself from what I saw. I think she has had plenty of opportunities for the uncommon experience in her past dealings with the upper crust. She doesn't need to hike in the Arctic; she needs to work a daily job for a year or two with reliable and extended financial oversight from someone. But, I think she would rather hike in the Arctic or talk to Oprah or gaze wistfully at the days gone by. She really craves press attention, but she wants it to be positive. I don't think she has solved that or really taken responsibility for incredibly bad and even actionable choices. She doesn't need to get stuck in guilt and shame,but she needs to go there personally if she is going to change.

Edited by southeastmom, Jun 13, 2011 @ 11:24 AM.

[kccody]

She doesn't need to hike in the Arctic; she needs to work a daily job for a year or two with reliable and extended financial oversight from someone. But, I think she would rather hike in the Arctic or talk to Oprah or gaze wistfully at the days gone by. She really craves press attention, but she wants it to be positive.

Thank Goodness, I agree. I thought maybe I was being hateful and unsympathetic, but it is hard to feel sorry for Sarah. Let go of your staff, stop buying expensive clothes and live like the rest of us. Happiness comes from doing a honest days work, blah- I am over this show after one epi.

[wallybear]

If she said she was "trapped" by the newspaper one more time I was going to scream.

You have more self control than I do, because I did scream, 'you willingly accepted a bribe to sell access to your ex-husband.' She completely refused to be honest & accept that the whole thing was her fault & despicable. 'Oh, they said I was horrible!' No shit- you tried to sell out the one person who seems to have your back.

Sarah perplexed me- at times, I was feeling sorry for her & sympathetic about her past & to her plight. At other times, I was disgusted by her refusal to stand up, take full responsibility for her past actions, & make a commitment to living a life of truth going forward. I'm left with feeling that while I believe she'd like to change her life, she is- & always will be- seeking the easy way out, an attention whore, & at her core, dishonest-with herself, as well as the world around her.

Edited by wallybear, Jun 13, 2011 @ 6:49 PM.

[doublebungalow2]

Desperate financial issues create desperate measures to try and fix them. You can't see or think very far. Moral compasses are out the window.

Nice try for rationalization for bad decisions. But making immoral decisions because you're broke is never in your best interest or understandable. It is okay to be a hooker if you need money for drugs?

Fergie has been singing the same sad song since she got married, Her book said she didn't get the same allowance as Diana but she needed to dress at the same cost level. One of her lowest moral levels is when she wanted to go to Ireland to see her horse that was running in some race so she set up some charitable event that she would appear at and pay her way. A poor sick child was used so that Fergie would get a free trip.

I always wonder why the celebrities who are claiming poverty fly on a first class ticket over the Atlantic.

[ish]

Why would she get a real job, no one will pay attention to her then. She'd rather hike in the Artic as long as there is a camera to film it. Why did she need the same expensive wardrobe that Diana had? Diana was slick, she paid for stuff with a check, so the merchants would keep it rather as a souvenier than deposit it. Lots of free stuff that way.

[braggtastic]

I always wonder why the celebrities who are claiming poverty fly on a first class ticket over the Atlantic.

First class? That looked like a private plane to me - wood interior I believe. It's possible she was flying Air Oprah. I have no idea how many private planes Oprah has, or if she has one capable of flying UK-LA, but I thought for sure she was on a private plane.

[apgold]

I thought Suze was going to give her a swift kick in the pants, but she was much more sympathetic towards her in the end. I thought it was funny that one of her dogs wanted to ride home with Suze. (Even her dog likes Suze more than her).

Sarah is a frustrating person to watch. There is something about her that makes her watchable (and not just her tenuous Royal status) and you want to root for her. I saw her on Oprah promoting the show, and she seems to be heading in the right direction.

Her daughters seem to have their heads on straight, so she can't be a complete screw-up.

I actually met her briefly last year about a month before the big scandal broke. She was at a charity luncheon in NY and I happened to be in the same elevator with her. She had no entourage and was by herself, Probably b/c she couldn't afford one. My sister and I helped her find her way out of the hotel and she was very grateful.

[doublebungalow2]

Her daughters seem to have their heads on straight,

Just bad taste in hats!

[wjcwm]

I have no tears for Sarah, she has been like this since she was caught toe-sucking. She has no idea of money, and doesn't care. She has cried poor since she was married. She way overspends and then cries poor, this has been going on for two decades.

Whether she has self esteem or not, I cannot judge, but she lives life like she has a ton of it. She lived with a man old enough to be her father before she married Andrew. She weasles out of every problem she has, here we go again.

Edited by wjcwm, Jun 14, 2011 @ 9:06 PM.

[yian]

From what I have heard she openly cheated on her husband, even then he didn't ask for a divorce, until she was photographed with another man by the press. Even after the divorce he let her stay in the house, and when she lost all the divorce settlement, he continues to support her.

He hasn't remarried, and I wonder if he deep down still loves her. I wonder why she effed up so much. Her excuse for cheating was that her husband was away in the military. I bet she is regretting that jet set lifestyle now. SMH

[LemonSoda]

He hasn't remarried, and I wonder if he deep down still loves her.

I've always wondered this too! I mean, the man put a photo of her in his pocket while attending the Royal Wedding so she'd be there in one way. It is a weird situation.

[EmeraldRose]

Sarah is trying to tell 'Dr.' Phil stuff, but he only wants to hear it HIS way. His daily show is one thing..... ENTERTAINMENT. As long as it is viewed that way, it's okay.

I totally respect that Oprah has built a multi-billion $$$ empire from nothing, but this was like hitting a brick wall for me about her. It is necessary to step on toes to get where she did. This show is completely and utterly taking advantage of a lost person with very deep emotional problems.

The personal 'crosses' I bear are just as heavy a burden as those Sarah bears. Being a blue collar worker, living paycheck to paycheck, mine are not as obvious maybe, but they are as real to me as those of Sarah to her.

Sarah needed $$$. Oprah bid and won Sarah's soul. No different, from my perspective, than Sarah trying to sell it to the person for access to HRH Prince Andrew.

Edited by EmeraldRose, Jun 15, 2011 @ 1:27 AM.

[kathe593]

Famewhore to the max! I actually feel sorry for the "Royal Family". They were saddled with this famewhoring waste of space. She will do anything for attention, and is just the lowest form of pond scum!

[socalrules]

The armchair psychiatrist in me thinks that Sarah probably suffers from low self-esteem, depression and a warped sense of entitlement. She seems determined to sabotage herself. I was really bothered when she stated that she left her baby had home to go find Andrew in Australia because she missed him and hadn't seen him in something like two months. It made it sound like she wasn't even sure where he was but was going to search for him. Maybe there was some postpartum depression going on. It just didn't make sense to me because she knew he was on a military mission. You don't see wives traveling to Iraq to try and find their husbands because they are lonely. She was so bothered that the press turned on her after that but doesn't seem to understand that her action in going was just weird.

I agree with the other posters that Andrew obviously still loves her, whether or not he is in love with her is debatable. I am sure that either Andrew or her daughters are still giving her money. As long as she is not completely broke or homeless, I am not sure she has any motivation to stand on her own two feet. She still wants the royal lifestyle even though it is beyond her reach. She cannot move on from it. I think she wants the Princess Diana divorce lifestyle where she is beloved and relevant to England. The problem is that Princess Diana was the mother of the future king, she would always be important to England. Her role was set in stone while Sarah had none after the divorce.

I like Sarah but I don't believe that this series is going to help her move forward. She seems to tell Dr. Phill and Suze Orman what she thinks they want to hear. She has no sense of self-awareness at all, and until she does, she is going to keep making the same stupid mistakes. Not realizing she was selling access to Andrew? Really? If the money wasn't a "bribe" then Webster's definition must be wrong.

[wjcwm]

She lies, she has always lied. The press didn't turn on her for the event of "seeking her husband" they turned on her for soaking up every bit of famewhoredom she could conjure up from her brief marriage. She scammed from everyone she could and sucked up every freebie possible. Not really a very royal move.

She had a pact with Diana to divorce at the same time, she thought she would be young, rich and influential and able to screw herself around the world. Diana did not live up to the pact initially, and left Sarah to flounder on her own. Sarah was caught up in a series of sex and financial scandals and was ruined, eventually when Diana made the break she did with a little more class, although she had some hideous scandals under her belt as well.

The Royal Family was initially in love with Sarah, and never with Diana, Sarah wore out her welcome very quickly and she was dropped like a hot potato. If she had led a life without scandal she probably would have been invited to William and Kate's wedding, but she is a royal pariah, and continues to be. A reality show won't help, but she has never tried to do the right thing, and she doesn't have much to lose now.

[Lisette]

This seems weirdly like Shania and Naomi--three wiomen who have had so many opportunities but seem to not be very honest (to vaious degrees) about their own participation in their life's failings. (Ryan and Tatum promise to be more of the same--particularly Ryan).

They combine more fame and fortune than 99% of the people on the planet but somehow want US to feel sorry for THEM.

I get the idea that rich and famous (or just famous, YMMV with Sarah) people can be as messed up as anyone, but it's the self-pity and rationalizations that I find so annoying. And that I'm supposed to sympathize.

Sorry, she lives rent-free in the lap of luxury and doesn't have to work--but she could, and has, earned money--weight watchers, kids book, this show, bribes.

If its true that she "only" got 3 mill and $20,000 a year in her divorce settlement, oh well. She lives far better--free room and board in a royal mansion--than anyone else does on $20k a year.

Oh, other similarities among those three women and OWN's reality show? It made all three of them look worse, not better. Really a PR mistake, and I don't know why Sarah's doing this (can't just be the money) because you know it will infuriate the Royal Family (probably including Andrew, just because of the embarrassment of everyone else).

Accd to Wikipedia, Andrew arranged for a friend (named in the article) to pay off a lot of her debts. (And I think she won't disclose any finances to Suze because she actually has quite a bit of income and money-flow, but wants to play out the "poor me" scenario rather than get a lecture on better money management.)

[queasy]

Truthfully, I'm a little confused by the bribe accusations myself. Is it a bribe if you give a hostess $20 to get you a good table at a restaurant, or is it a tip? What about if I refer a friend to DIRECtv and am given $100 for it? Is DIRECtv bribing me? There are standard referral fees all over the place in various businesses. Sometimes they veer into kickbacks and suddenly that's a problem.

I think in Sarah's head, someone came to her and asked to be introduced to Andrew, for which she would be paid a referral fee. I'm not claiming it wasn't a sleazy thing to do -- and especially horrible to take advantage of Andrew's unflagging generosity and kindness to her -- but I do kind of understand how she could twist it in her mind so that it was perfectly legitimate. It's very sad how the sting was set up deliberately to hurt her and sell newspapers. It would be entrapment if the government had done it (in the US, anyway).