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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Jonny Weeks

Lance Armstrong's entire confession – in pictures

Lance Armstrong interview: Lance Armstrong interview
Armstrong's interview with Oprah Winfrey starts out with blunt confessions to a career of doping involving EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone
Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance Armstrong interview: Lance Armstrong interview
The penitence begins, albeit in the second person: 'You overcome the disease, you win the Tour de France seven times, you have a happy marriage, you have children. I mean, it's just this mythic perfect story, and it wasn't true'
Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance Armstrong interview: Lance Armstrong interview
Armstrong repeatedly breaks into smiles during the early stages of the interview. He then scoffs at the suggestion his was the most sophisticated doping programme in all of sport: 'To say that that program was bigger than the East German doping program in the '70s and '80s? That's not true'
Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance Armstrong interview: Lance Armstrong interview
Then comes the rather bizarre admission that he wasn't scared of getting caught
Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance Armstrong interview: Lance Armstrong interview
Oprah tries to get heavy, talking about him being a leader and coercing his team-mates into doping. But Armstrong is adamant that wasn't the case. Though he does admit to being a 'bully' and a 'jerk' towards those who spoke out against him
Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance Armstrong interview: Lance Armstrong interview
Armstrong admits: 'It was win at all costs. When I was diagnosed [with cancer] I would do anything to survive. I took that attitude – win at all costs – to cycling. That's bad.' Oprah pulls him up on this, pointing out that he doped long before getting testicular cancer. Armstrong looks a little stumped
Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance Armstrong i/v 2: Lance Armstrong's confession - in pictures
A few montages follow and the ad breaks become increasingly frequent
Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance Armstrong interview: Lance Armstrong interview
Armstrong pulls a sad face as the grilling continues
Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance Armstrong interview: Lance Armstrong interview
He gets mildly apologetic when discussing whistleblowers whom he ruthlessly hounded, such as Emma O'Reilly. 'We ran over her, we bullied her,' he says, neatly dodging the term 'I'
Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance Armstrong interview: Lance Armstrong interview
Armstrong somehow can't recall exactly who he has sued in the past. 'To be honest, Oprah, we sued so many people I don't even know'. He says his 'territory' was being threatened and he was 'on the attack'
Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance Armstrong i/v: Lance Armstrong's confession - in pictures
Armstrong is then forced to watch footage of himself at the end of the 2005 Tour where he mocks all those who have called him a cheat. 'I've made some mistakes in my life and that was a mistake. Looking back at it now, it looks ridiculous'
Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance Armstrong i/v: Lance Armstrong's confession - in pictures
Oprah goes soft on Armstrong when discussing the UCI and the alleged cover up of a failed test at the Tour de Suisse in 2001. No wonder he looks happy – that was a point where he should've been grilled
Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance Armstrong i/v: Lance Armstrong's confession - in pictures
More contrition follows, and Armstrong claims he would be an advocate of anti-doping policies in future
Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance Armstrong i/v: Lance Armstrong interview
Armstrong says he knew he was in trouble when former team-mates Floyd Landis and George Hincapie turned themselves in. 'My fate was sealed.' The second part of his confessional interview with Oprah will be aired in the early hours of Saturday morning. Topics for discussion include his family and his Livestrong foundation – emotional stuff
Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance: Lance Armstrong on Oprah
Part Two begins with Oprah asking Armstrong if he feels disgraced Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance: Lance Armstrong interviewed by Oprah Winfrey
She then handily feeds Armstrong cliches about how humble he must have felt when his sponsors and Livestrong ditched him Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance: Lance Armstrong interviewed by Oprah Winfrey
Oprah goes for the heartstrings, reading out a letter from the parent of a cancer survivor who believed in Armstrong. But it's a 'softball' as the writer of the letter still appears to be fully supportive of the cyclist, even now. Armstrong comes over somewhat self righteous, saying he deserves to be punished by the authorities for his actions, but doesn't deserve 'a death penalty' Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance: Lance Armstrong interviewed by Oprah Winfrey
Oprah quizzes Armstrong over the notorious tweet of him relaxing in front of seven Tour de France jerseys in defiance. Armstrong begins to ramble on about the healing process he's now going through. Yesterday's buzz word was 'flaw', today's is clearly 'process' Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance: Lance Armstrong interviewed by Oprah Winfrey
'I do want to compete again. Hell yes. I love to train. Race', says Armstrong, who also says he's never had a doctor suggest to him that his cancer could have been caused by doping Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance: Lance Armstrong interviewed by Oprah Winfrey
Finally, some sign of emotions. Armstrong wells up as he talks about his family. Evidently his son had been defending his reputation to his friends, which prompted Armstrong to confess to his elder children Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance: Lance Armstrong interviewed by Oprah Winfrey
Armstrong seems genuinely choked and can't talk at several stages Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance: Lance Armstrong interviewed by Oprah Winfrey
Oprah suddenly starts to play hardball. 'Were you trying to pay off Usada' she asks, with regards to a huge donation made to them. 'No that was not true', Armstrong asserts. He skips away from the line of questioning by telling how the day his sponsors left him it was a huge financial blow. 'That was a $75m dollar day' Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
Lance: Lance Armstrong interviewed by Oprah Winfrey
Oprah leads Arsmtrong to a predictable finale, asking him what the moral of the story is. It's a calamitous moment as Armstrong says he doesn't know Photograph: Guardian screengrab from OWN
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