The alliance subsequently created a healthy symbiotic relationship between the two parties: Weight Watchers had a credible personality touting the program's success, and the duchess had to sign a contract agreeing to adhere to the company's dieting program, lose weight and, during each visit to the U.S., get on the scale to prove it. And she's held up her end of the agreement: she shed 50 pounds and kept it off.
"I had reached a point in my life where I was plain unhappy with myself," she now says. "I felt overwhelmed and it showed in my weight, home life, finances and attitude. A structured diet like Weight Watchers' taught me how to see food in context, and getting into a fitness regimen elevated my mood."
Ferguson does confess that it's not always easy. While at the awards ceremony earlier that day, she wrestled with the urge to eat when she thought about how much she missed her mother—who died in a tragic car accident in 1998—and her daughters and their home in London.
"There are good days and bad days," she says. "Food is always going to be an issue for me. But I've learned to be patient and honest with myself. And if I fall off my diet, I know how to get back on track without beating myself up."
With help from Weight Watchers' diet plan and continuous peer support, Ferguson has learned how to confront and overcome her self-destructive behaviors and has thus developed a more healthy perspective on life. She now devotes her energy to issues she considers vital, which include educating people about the health risks of obesity and aiding poverty-stricken children.
"Remember that we're really very lucky, especially in the United States and in Europe," she advises as we say goodbye. "We could be in India without anything to eat or in Afghanistan getting fired at."
The day after our conversation, September 11, 2001, the duchess' parting words acquired a profound new meaning. She was in New York's Times Square that morning, appearing on the "Good Morning America" show, when terrorists flew hijacked American planes into the World Trade Center. Her American children's charity, Chances for Children, was located on the 101st floor of the first tower that was struck. Miraculously, none of the charity's employees were in the building. But Ferguson was devastated to learn that nearly 700 employees of Cantor Fitzgerald—the financial firm that was donating office space to the charity—perished in the attack.
"She was shocked," says Ferguson's personal assistant of six years, John O'Sullivan, who was with her at the time. "It wasn't until the next day that she had a clear vision of what she wanted to do. She's very resilient in times like these; she always wants to see how she can do some good." She immediately established The Duchess of York's 9/11 Fund in memory of Cantor Fitzgerald, the proceeds of which will directly aid the victims and their families. Then Sarah Ferguson flew back to England to do the one thing she deems most important: being a mom.
"She misses her children immensely when she's traveling," O'Sullivan says. "But as a working mother she realizes that she needs to work to give them better lives. When she is with them she dedicates her total time to them, and they're the happiest girls as a result. They're amazing children." O'Sullivan considers himself fortunate to have spent a lot of time with Beatrice and Eugenie and believes their balanced, healthy attitudes are a testament to their mother's parenting skills.
"I can honestly do something very well, which is being a mother," Ferguson says. "I wish I could be a better mother to myself."
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