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Emma O'Reilly: missed a call from Armstrong on Sunday night. mage: youtube screengrab

Irish masseuse Emma O'Reilly rejects Lance Armstrong's apology

The Tallaght native says Armstrong’s apology is ‘old news’ to her.

LANCE ARMSTRONG’S DUBLIN-born, former masseuse has this morning rejected his apology after he admitted bullying her for speaking out about his cheating in his interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier.

Emma O’Reilly — who  was sued by the shamed rider after she spoke out about his doping to David Walsh — said his confession was “old news” to her.

Speaking on ITV breakfast television, O’Reilly said she had missed a call from Armstrong on Sunday night. The former Tour legend then sent a text saying: “This is Lance, call me please, thanks.”

She said sorry was “not at all” enough at this stage.

“All of it has never felt like vindication – I can never think of another word to use,” said O’Reilly, “but I hate that word because it suggests almost that there was some vindictiveness. I had only ever spoken about it because I hated seeing what some of the riders were going through, because not all the riders were comfortable with cheating as Lance was.

“You could see when they went over to the dark side their personalities change, and I always felt it was an awful shame – they were just young lads in the prime of their life having to make this awful decision, sort of living the dream, yet the dream is a nightmare.

“That was always why I had spoken out – it wasn’t about Lance, it was about drugs and cycling.”

‘Look at this arrogant prick’ — what we learned from Lance/Oprah part 1

Lance: I’ve tried to apologise to ‘bullied’ Emma O’Reilly

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    Mute David o Leary
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:24 AM

    Damn right , she shouldn’t accept it, bit late now.

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    Mute Toora loora lies
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:59 AM

    He’s not sorry, he’s sorry he was caught.

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    Mute Karen NíDhochartaigh
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    Jan 18th 2013, 11:19 AM

    All cheaters are only sorry they were caught its why they do it more than once!!!

    72
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    Mute Al K Seltzer
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:27 AM

    All Irish people were like emma o reilly. before the Celtic Tiger…..Irish people who wouldn’t take bullshit from anyone and who stood up for people and up TO wrongdoers…….

    WTF happened to us……we need to look after each other…………..

    Good riddance to the tiger…..forward to a more balanced society…………..

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    Mute Rob Cunningham
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:30 AM

    Shes the hero, not lance the fraud!

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    Mute Ciara Molloy
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:35 AM

    I don’t understand why people insist on bringing the economy into completely unrelated topics.

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    Mute Al K Seltzer
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:36 AM

    Maybe you’re too young to see the link between the Irish personality and the Celtic Tiger?

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    Mute Alan Quinn
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:50 AM

    Good riddance to tiger woods? Well aren’t we going a little off topic

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    Mute Nivag Yeoh
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:50 AM

    That’s a load of rose-tinted baloney, Seltzer. Magdalen Laundries, Church-protected paedos, Champagne Charlie, etc. etc. Are these all figments of my imagination?

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    Mute Pete Bourke
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    Jan 18th 2013, 11:00 AM

    Wtf has this got to do with the Celtic tiger! Get over your politic self!

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    Mute Al K Seltzer
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    Jan 18th 2013, 11:19 AM

    maybe i should have said working class irish people………

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    Mute Nivag Yeoh
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    Jan 18th 2013, 11:26 AM

    Well that hypothesis doesn’t work either, Al. Where did the girls who went to the Magdalen Laundries come from? Did the paedophile priests solely target the children of the middle classes? Was Charlie Haughey’s corrupt cadre a purely bourgeois construct?

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    Mute Al K Seltzer
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    Jan 18th 2013, 11:34 AM

    you cannot blame fear ridden Irish people (at time of m laundries) for the actions of a few priests and nuns, as for haughey, you certainly cannot blame irish people for him……

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    Mute Nivag Yeoh
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    Jan 18th 2013, 12:02 PM

    “…Irish people who wouldn’t take bullshit from anyone and who stood up for people and up TO wrongdoers…”

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    Mute Ellis Bell
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    Jan 18th 2013, 12:38 PM

    Why ……. so ……. cryptic ……………

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    Mute neo1
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    Jan 18th 2013, 1:29 PM

    Lol Alan Quinn:-)

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    Mute Paul Keane
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    Jan 18th 2013, 2:04 PM

    That’s a Real big brush you got there Al

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    Mute Ryan'Ooh
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    Jan 18th 2013, 3:37 PM

    Al K Seltzer; I think you’re onto something here about the Celtic Tiger being to blame for pressurising a young Lance Armstrong to succeed in a competitive sport at any cost! I wonder if his misadventures were funded by greedy bondholders who were bailed-out by the Irish taxpayer?

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    Mute Maria Byrne
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    Jan 19th 2013, 9:20 AM

    Well said.

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    Mute howsaboutya
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:41 AM

    Lance Armstrong game plan.

    1) Everybody did it so I am still the best
    2) I am a robin hood character who saved countless lives through his foundation
    3) I am a competitor who only knows how to win.

    What a dick

    156
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    Mute John Mc Glynn
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:36 AM

    I know the Emma O Reilly piece of the story is of interest to the Irish public but it should be Betsy Andreus story plastered all over the site. The incident in the hospital is the only issue Lance refused to touch in this “no holds barred”! expose. The fact that he passes on this subject alone just raises more questions and suspicions, and what do ya know? One of the first voices out praising Lance for coming clean…. Mr Pat McQuaid.
    Throughout the interview its blatantly obvious, especially his pseudo apologies, that he has no remorse for the his behaviour and the people he has hurt along the way.

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    Mute Jane O'Sullivan
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    Jan 18th 2013, 11:09 AM

    I totally agree…. I was sick to my stomach when he said he regretted his come back because he wouldn’t b where he is now. If he had left it at 2005 then he probably would have got away with it. Arrogant son of a B

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    Mute John Byrne
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    Jan 18th 2013, 11:17 AM

    Absolutely you know for sure he’s been coached for days on how to do this interview . It’s a bloody film set , you ask this , I’ll answer this way . Really people aren’t that naive , I hope .

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    Mute Browns Cows
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:39 AM

    She told the truth and she paid the price for his lying

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    Mute Keith Anthony Patrick Irish
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:38 AM

    Well done emma, i’d say you’ve got more balls than lance, but em? That wouldnt be difficult would it?

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    Mute Denscann
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    Jan 18th 2013, 12:18 PM

    he cycled CLEAN 4 times in the tour de france. he didn’t complete in 3 of those races and finished 36th in one. he was destined to be a journey man cyclist before he started doping.

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    Mute Seargent Awesome
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    Jan 18th 2013, 2:16 PM

    Clean in 4 Tours? What? He was on cortisone, testosterone and hGH for years before he got cancer and only started the EPO in 95. No way was he clean for 4 Tours.

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    Mute Ed Corless
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    Jan 18th 2013, 11:11 AM

    No happy ending then !!!!!!

    34
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    Mute Jason Naughton
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:42 AM

    Lance is still a great cyclist.

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    Mute peter
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:56 AM

    No, his best finish on the tour of France was 36th before he began cheating so he was never a great cyclist.

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    Mute Jason Naughton
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    Jan 18th 2013, 11:02 AM

    World Champion 1993.
    Before doping.
    Great cyclist.

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    Mute ManOnTheStreet
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    Jan 18th 2013, 11:15 AM

    Delusional.

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    Mute howsaboutya
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    Jan 18th 2013, 12:53 PM

    Greater at bullying.

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    Mute Stephen Barry
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    Jan 18th 2013, 1:04 PM

    After reading through the comments , it makes me wonder if this man was responsible for the holocaust. He cheated and lied his way to winning a cycle race , and now he’s sorry … Hope he gets on with his life and has a happy one .. And the media go after the real nasty people

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    Mute John Turkey
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    Jan 18th 2013, 1:25 PM

    Many people cheated and that’s understandable to some degree. But Armstrong deserves the hatred because he behaved like a total psychopath who had no problem destroying lives of competitors, journalists and friends.

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    Mute Jane O'Sullivan
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    Jan 18th 2013, 3:41 PM

    But he is not sorry! If you watched he interview you would see. He destroyed people’s lies to save his own ass. Yes he is welcome to get on with his life but he can do it out of the spotlight!

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    Mute Jane O'Sullivan
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    Jan 18th 2013, 3:42 PM

    *lives not lies…. Damn sausage fingers again!

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    Mute Al K Seltzer
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:46 AM

    It’s sickening that people are using CANCER to have ago at Lance Armstrong…What he did was wrong, he knows it and now he’s on a quest for forgiveness……I wish him well……..

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    Mute Stephen Maher
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:50 AM

    Jam me full of crack cocaine and I’d give the drug-addled cheat a run for his money.

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    Mute colm clarke
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    Jan 19th 2013, 5:23 PM

    He spent 13 years on a quest to wreck people’s lives and careers because they spoke the truth. I hope they all sue him for every dollar he has, earned from the sport by way of fraud. And when he is broke then he can go on his quest for forgiveness.

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    Mute Len Raynor
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    Jan 18th 2013, 8:02 PM

    Touch of a skanger in that one

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    Mute Conor Gleeson
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    Jan 18th 2013, 8:35 PM

    How much was Emma sued for??

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