NEW JERSEY — Ashley Dupré, the former call girl at the heart of the prostitution scandal that ended New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's political career in 2008, is back in the news with the launch of a new lingerie boutique.
Femme by Ashley held its grand opening on Monday in Red Bank, New Jersey. The shop, which offers a wide variety of expensive designer swimsuits and intimate apparel for women, marks Dupré’s first foray into business.
Her first post scandal gigs included posing for Playboy in 2010 and writing an ongoing sex and relationship column for The New York Post. No longer the hot-to-trot hottie seen in a 2003 “Girls Gone Wild” video, Dupré views her new endeavor as the start of a new life.
“I made a bunch of mistakes when I was younger, and I feel like, for the first time in my life, I’m growing into an adult, and I’m really excited about that,” she told RedBankGreen.com. “What am I going to do, live in the past, regretting every mistake I’ve ever made? That’s the sign of a weak person. You need to get over it and move on.”
Dupré was 22-years-old when she was identified in March of 2008 as the prostitute hired by Spitzer while in office at the rate of $1000 an hour from escort service Emperor’s Club VIP. Spitzer resigned his post as governor that same month, while Dupré unsuccessfully attempted to both start a singing career and sue “Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis for exploiting her name and likeness with a website featuring topless footage of her.
Hustler Video parodied the scandal a month later with the release of “Gov Love: The Eliot Splitz-Her Story,” starring veteran performer Mike Horner as the governor and Cassandra Cruz as Dupré.
