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This June, Sarah Ferguson<\/strong><\/a> revealed that she\u2019d undergone a mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis. But on the August 30 episode of the podcast she \u200bcohosts \u2014 \u201cTea Talks With the Duchess and Sarah\u201d \u2014 Fergie, 63, shared that while the health scare may have required \u201ca body part to be cut off,\u201d she\u2019d actually gained something even more valuable in the process: self-acceptance.<\/p>\n Indeed, the famous redhead said she had a \u201cwake up\u201d call to \u201cstop worrying, stop self-hatred, stop self-doubt, stop all these things. Stop not liking yourself.\u201d Fergie has also stopped measuring herself against the late Princess Diana<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I look back \u2026 I didn\u2019t like myself, and that was because \u2026 I was always compared to Diana,\u201d the Duchess of York, who\u2019s previously dealt with body dysmorphia and eating disorders, noted of her former sister-in-law. \u201cI sort of believed my own press, which is, you know, not too good.\u201d<\/p>\n Fergie\u2019s insecurities go back to 1986, when she married King Charles III<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s brother Prince Andrew<\/strong><\/a>, now 63. \u201cSarah\u2019s early years with the royal family were difficult,\u201d an insider exclusively<\/a> tells Life & Style<\/em>. \u201cShe had an extremely hard time adjusting to life in the public eye, particularly because of the scrutiny she faced.\u201d<\/p>\n Diana, who was two years younger than Fergie, had wed Charles half a decade earlier. And though the duchess says she tried to \u201csupport and protect\u201d Diana as she would \u201ca younger sister,\u201d standing next to the fashionable would-be queen wasn\u2019t always easy. \u201cFergie was often mocked for her appearance, while Diana was praised for her beauty and style,\u201d the source recalls to Life & Style<\/em>. \u201cIt was difficult for Fergie, and she didn\u2019t have many people to lean on.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, 31 years after they both split from their princes \u2014 and 26 years after Diana tragically passed away in a car accident at age 36 \u2014 Fergie has finally made peace with that time in her life. Feeling more comfortable and confident than ever, the mother of Princess Beatrice, 35, and Princess Eugenie, 33, even joked she has a \u201cperky new friend\u201d in the form of her reconstructed left breast, which she named Derek. \u201cHe saved my life,\u201d she told pal Sarah Thomson<\/strong> on their joint podcast. \u201c[Derek\u2019s] with me all the time\u2026 protecting me with his shield of armor.\u201d<\/p>\n But these days, she\u2019s able to protect herself, as well. \u201cWith age and experience Fergie has learned how to deal with the difficulties that come her way,\u201d says the source. \u201cShe\u2019s happy with who she is and how her life has turned out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n