Lance Armstrong was 'urged to dump much younger Ashley Olsen to protect his image'
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A new tell-all book on shamed cyclist Lance Armstrong has revealed how his minders urged him to end his short-lived relationship with former child actress Ashley Olsen, who is 15 years his junior.
According to Juliet Macur's book Cycle Of Lies, Armstrong's handlers were worried about how the new romance would affect the-then 36-year-old's image.
Brief romance: A new book claims Lance Armstrong, pictured in 2011, was warned against dating Ashley Olsen, seen last year, back in 2007 for fear it would 'affect his image'
New tell-all: Juliet Macur explores the fall of the sports star in her new book Cycle Of Lies
Macur writes that Armstrong's long-time friend and head of the star's Livestrong Foundation John Korioth 'warned the thirty-six-year-old father of three that his May-December romance could damage his cancer work.'
As reported by Radar, she claims Korioth told Armstrong: 'Whoa, dude, bad idea. You’ve got to put a stop to this right now.'
Armstrong is alleged to have responded: 'She’s twenty-one… F**k you.'
Following his split from designer Tory Burch in 2007 after a year-long relationship, the star cyclist and Olsen were spotted on an intimate date in New York City.
'Ashley drank red wine, sat on his lap and they were making out all night,' an onlooker told the New York Post about her evening with Armstrong at the Gramercy Park Hotel's Rose Bar. 'They left together around 2 am.'
Another source told People at the time: 'Lance was hanging with her, definitely. [Olsen] was very flirtatious, and was sitting on his lap.'
A few days later, the couple were spotted out again at The Waverly Inn.
However, the romance fizzled out and Armstrong moved onto a high profile relationship with Kate Hudson. He had previously dated Sheryl Crow for three years before they split in 2006.
Admission: Amstrong during his Oprah Winfrey interview last year, where he admitted using performance-enhancing drugs
Rich dating history: Lance with current partner Anna Hansen (left) and with ex-girlfriend Sheryl Crow in 2005 (right)
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The father of five is now in a long term relationship with Anna Hansen who he met through his charity work.
Armstrong founded The Livestrong Foundation back in 1997, a year after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
The non-profit organisation aims to provide support to people affected by cancer, with the Livestrong brand launched in 2003.
In 2012, Armstrong was banned from competitive cycling and stripped of his seven Tour de France titles over his admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs.
After years of denials, Armstrong admitted last January that he had in fact used performance enhancing drugs during a much-hyped interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The confession came after a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report detailed widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs by Armstrong and his USPS team.
Meanwhile Ashley Olsen, 27, spotted out with her twin sister Mary-Kate in Paris on Thursday, is reportedly dating Moneyball director Bennett Miller, 47, according to Us Weekly.
Mary-Kate recently got engaged to French banker Olivier Sarkozy.
Twin town: Ashley (back) pictured with Mary-Kate Olsen (front) in Paris on Thursday, dated Armstrong in 2007
Who's dating who: Ashley (left) is reportedly seeing director Bennett Miller, while Mary-Kate (right) recently became engaged to Olivier Sarkozy
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