A source has been widely quoted, on the condition of anonymity, ahead of the interview’s broadcast on Thursday in the US (2am Friday UK time) on Winfrey’s TV network.

Another source was previously reported saying that before Armstrong had sat down with Winfrey, he apologised to his long-serving staff at Livestrong, the cancer charity he recently stepped down from in the wake of his drugs scandal.

Armstrong, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, is said to have been “choked up” during the interview and in tears with Oprah at his house, where the interview took place.

Armstrong was stripped of his titles after a US Anti-Doping Agency report claimed he had be the mastermind of the "most sophisticated, professional and successful doping program that sport has ever seen".

When the Usada's allegations were backed up by the International Cycling Union he was banned for life from competitive cycling.

Meanwhile yesterday, Team GB Olympic gold medallist Nicole Cooke used her retirement announcement to hit out at drug cheats, and in particular, Armstrong.

“When Lance cries on Oprah later this week and she passes him a tissue, spare a thought for all of those genuine people who walked away with nothing,” she says. 

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