Oprah Winfrey has said that Lance Armstrong did not 'come clean in the manner I had expected' following their interview, to be aired on Thursday.
The disgraced cyclist apparently confessed to the presenter that he used performance-enhancing drugs to help him win the Tour de France.
But speaking on the CBS breakfast show This Morning, Winfrey said: "I think the entire interview was difficult for Lance Armstrong. I would say he did not come clean in the manner I had expected.
"It was surprising to me. Emotional doesn't begin to describe the intensity or difficulty Lance experienced during the interview.
"He brought it. He had certainly prepared himself and was pretty forthcoming."
According to sources in the US the disgraced cycling superstar made the admission in an interview taped last night. The final blow to Armstrong’s reputation is a humbling reversal after more than a decade of statements, interviews and court battles in which he denied he was a drugs cheat.
Armstrong, 41, was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by the sport’s governing body last year after a 1,000-page report from the US Anti-Doping Agency said he once led “the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen”.
He was dropped by many sponsors after the report but is still said to be worth £62 million.
The interview will be broadcast on Thursday in America on her network. CBS and Associated Press news agency in the US quoted informed sources as confirming that Armstrong confessed to using drugs.
The interview was recorded at the Four Seasons Hotel near Armstrong’s home in Austin, Texas. Oprah tweeted: “Just wrapped with Lance Armstrong. More than two and a half hours. He came READY!”
Hours earlier he stopped at Livestrong, the cancer foundation he founded after his recovery from the disease. He is said to have broken down during a speech to staff which also left several employees in tears.
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One reason given for his sudden decision to come clean is because he is hoping to rescind the lifetime ban that followed the report. He may be hoping a confession would allow him to return to competition in triathlon events.
British road racing champion Nicole Cooke, 29, told the BBC she lamented her bad luck to have competed in an era when “cheats and liars” were rife in her sport.
She added: “When Lance cries on Oprah, and she passes him the tissue, spare a thought for all those genuine people who walked away with no rewards — just shattered dreams. Each one of them is worth a thousand Lances.”
Halfords announced today it has become official stockist of Pinarello cycles, the bike Bradley Wiggins used to win Olympic gold and the Tour de France.
