Oprah Winfrey confirms Lance Armstrong’s confession

Reaction has been strong since the news broke that cycling legend Lance Armstrong confessed to cheating in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. (AP)

Oprah Winfrey appeared on “CBS This Morning” Tuesday and confirmed that Lance Armstrong admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during their interview on Monday.

“Emotional doesn’t begin to describe the intensity or difficulty [for Armstrong] in talking about these things,” Winfrey said.

Added Winfrey: “I would say he did not come clean in the manner I expected. It was surprising to me … for myself, for my team, all of us in the room. We were mesmerized and riveted by some of his answers.”

Armstrong, once considered a heroic, inspirational seven-time Tour De France winner, now generally is viewed as a disgraceful cheater, and his seven Tour de France championships have been stripped.

Olympic cyclist Nicole Cooke said that Armstrong “robbed people of their dreams.”

Just a few short hours before meeting with Winfrey, Armstrong apologized for the long-time controversy to about 100 members of Livestrong, the charity that he founded in 1997 that helps cancer patients and their families. Livestrong spokesman Katherine McLane described Armstrong’s speech as “heartfelt and sincere.”

One of the first people to publicly accuse Armstrong of using performance-enhancing drugs was the wife of his former teammate Frankie Andreu. Betsy Andreu said of Armstrong’s confession: “He used to be one of my husband’s best friends, and because [Frankie] wouldn’t go along with the doping, he got kicked to the side. Lance could have had a positive impact if he tells the truth on everything. He’s got to be completely honest.”

Winfrey’s interview with Armstrong is scheduled to be televised in two parts, beginning on Thursday night and concluding on Friday on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

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