If one believes the whispers currently being disseminated about Sarah Ferguson, she isn't, let's put it this way, in the best of states. Andrew Mountbatten Windsor's ex-wife is reportedly sofa-surfing at the houses of wealthy friends, with someone even commenting on her hair (grey roots are apparently showing).

She has also not been having Botox treatments, it has been said, and looking overall "dishevelled". The "nervy" and "low" figure has suffered a monumental fall from grace after the extent of her ties with billionaire paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, whom, emails suggest, she called "the brother I have always wished for" and a "legend" after he was convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution and procuring a person under 18 for prostitution, were exposed.

Later, she purportedly told him: "I am at your service. Just marry me." One's stomach cannot feel normal when reading these passages, especially when considering that Ferguson took her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, to visit Epstein in Miami days after he was released.

And you thought the photos of Texan millionaire John Bryan sucking her toes were bad.

A friend has suggested that she and Andrew - who was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in February, before being released under investigation - "are on speaking terms but not talking that much".

"It is almost as if they have run away from each other," they added.

This clearly isn't working, and will never make a difference to the amount of media coverage of what could be described as the biggest scandal involving those in public life of modern times.

More documents could be released in the future, even though the United States Department of Justice declared earlier this year that it had released all files required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act - around 3.5million pages.

If this happens, story after story would be published about emails exchanged between Epstein and Ferguson, most likely contained within, no matter how far away she is physically from her ex-husband.

Ferguson admitted in 2011 that her ities with Epstein had been a "gigantic error of judgment".

She added: "I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children."

But it has emerged that, after this, she told the sex offender: "I know you feel hellaciously let down by me from what you were either told or read and I must humbly apologise to you and your heart for that."

The former Duchess of York also stated that she did not call him a paedophile, suggesting that she made the comments to protect her writing career and charity work.

A spokesperson for the duchess said the email was written after Epstein threatened to sue her for defamation, The Guardian reported.

They said: "The duchess spoke of her regret about her association with Epstein many years ago, and as they have always been, her first thoughts are with his victim."

I'd suggest that Ferguson needs to issue a full, unreserved apology and admit to incomprehensible levels of stupidity and naivety to improve her situation.

She would also do well to tell officials anything else she might know in order to help get justice for Epstein's victims. Genuinely repentance is the only route to any kind of salvation.

Hiding away and keeping quiet will do her no favours in the mind of the British public and just makes her look like a coward.