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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, September 11, 2009

Erin Andrews on Oprah: She thought her career was over


Associated Press

ESPN reporter Erin Andrews thought her career was over after secretly taped nude footage of her began circulating on the Internet.

Andrews appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” on Friday in a 10-minute segment taped Aug. 27. This was her first interview on the topic and it was part of the show’s kickoff to its 24th season.
Wearing a black dress, Andrews was composed in talking about the “nightmare” of knowing the blurry five-minute video was on the Internet and being harassed by paparazzi after the story became news in July.
Andrews learned about the video from a friend, but initially laughed off the possibility it could be of her. After she watched it at his urging, the first thing she did was call her parents.
“I kept screaming: ’I’m done. My career is over. I’m done. Get it off. Get it off the Internet,”’ said Andrews, her eyes watering as she remembered talking to her father. “They thought I was physically injured, (that’s) how bad I was screaming.”
Andrews’ attorney has said the video was shot without her knowledge and she plans to seek criminal charges and file lawsuits against whoever shot it and anyone who posts it.
“I do know that I am a victim of a stalker, because we know that this happened in at least two rooms,” Andrews said. “I was getting ready to go work a college football game in at least one of the videos I was able to identify.”
Andrews returned to the air Sept. 3 as the sideline reporter for ESPN’s broadcast of South Carolina at North Carolina State.
The 31-year-old former University of Florida dance team member was an Internet sensation even before the video’s circulation.
Some Web sites have referred to her as “Erin Pageviews” because of the traffic she can generate, and Playboy magazine named her “sexiest sportscaster” in 2008 and 2009. She has covered numerous sports for the network since 2004, often as a sideline reporter.

On the Net:
The Oprah Winfrey Show: http://www.oprah.com