Return to Transcripts main page

Piers Morgan Live

Interview with Chaz Bono, Dara Torres, Jerry Weintraub

Aired June 09, 2012 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

PIERS MORGAN, HOST: Tonight, the man who founded an American dynasty, President George H.W. Bush, his live story in his own words: the White House days, his family, and the shocking wartime attack that nearly cost him his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FRM. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I wasn't afraid to die. Maybe I was scared when all this was taking place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Plus, politics get's personal. Chaz Bono on a cause that's close to his heart and his new life as a single man.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAZ BONO, CHER'S SON: I'm not the most outgoing fellow. You know, I'm not one of those guys who can just walk up and start chatting up a girl that I find attractive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Also, countdown to the Olympics. Champion swimmer Dara Torres has won 12 medals and she's gunning for more in London.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARA TORRES, OLYMPIC SWIMMER: I love standing up on the blocks and seeing the young whipper snapper and swimming against them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: And Yaya dared to show me what she's really made of.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: I would like to see the greatest six-pack in history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: This is Piers Morgan Tonight.

Good evening. We begin with a man who can give today's politicians, some pointers on the ups and downs of life in high office. George Herbert Walker Bush. This is the 41st president of the United States as you've never seen him before. He tells his story in his own words in a revealing and deeply personal new documentary.

Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUSH: I've seen what crosses that big desk. I've seen the unexpected crisis that arrives in a cable in a young aide's hand, and so I know that what it all comes down to, this election, is the man at the desk, and who should sit at that desk? My friends, I am that man.

MORGAN: That was of course the 41st president of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush. He tells his story in his own words in a revealing and deeply personal new documentary, it's called "41" produced by his longtime great friend, Jerry Weintraub, who I'm pleased to say is with me now.

Jerry, it's -- I watched it this morning . It's a fascinating documentary because you just can't imagine there are so many things about this man that you don't know. And as I was watching, I was like, I didn't know that happened to him. I didn't know about this. I see all sorts of stuff: pictures, images, revelations from his own mouth which are really startling.

JERRY WEINTRAUB, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, HBO'S "41": If you know why you don't know and most people don't know all that is because he never bragged about himself. And he never felt that he was going to be an imperial president and he was designated to be president of the United States. He was doing a job. And he never -- his mother and father early on, as you saw in the film, told him don't brag about yourself, don't talk about yourself, don't be a big shot, just go ahead and run your life, do your life.

And that's what he did. And even in the best of days and in the worst of days he didn't sit around in the living room and say look what I just did, look what I had just become, look at me, look at me, look at me. It was never that. It was about service to the country.

MORGAN: It's an extraordinary moment and I want to show a clip, and come to you after. This is him in the war. He's a pilot. And they run into heavy fire and they go down. And he crashes into the water. Incredibly it's all on video. You've got this remarkable sequence. Let's watch a bit of this.

BUSH: Sure enough. It was a rescue sub and they came up out of the sea alongside of me. I went in the conning tower, went down into the submarine and the next thing I know we're under the water.

MORGAN: I mean it's particularly appropriate, I think, in the week when it's the anniversary of D-Day. You see that footage there. You see the man who was to become President Bush, but in that moment, he's dragged out of the water after this life-or-death moment as he crashes into the sea, and they just leave him to walk up the deck and that's the reality of war.

And in that moment you can live or die, and he just shrugs himself down and gets on with it. It's no surprise to me when you see that footage that this forms the character that we then see as president, a man who whether you like him or not, or agree with his politics, no on ever questioned his integrity.

WEINTRAUB: Exactly. And he was frightened when he went down. I mean he -- it was a life-and-death situation. He was as close to death as you can possibly get. He got shot out of the air. And he was very upset and concerned about his crew. That was -- that's what was on his mind and he knew that he was -- it was do or die. When he later on had to send kids to war, he knew what war was and he knew what life and death was in an airplane.

MORGAN: Yes. And it's very powerful that sense of him understanding him, because of what you see earlier on with that footage and him telling in very evocative terms. He doesn't hide the fact that he was terrified.

WEINTRAUB: Right.

MORGAN: Nor that he's lived with it really. He said almost every day he thinks about this.

WEINTRAUB: Yes.

MORGAN: The rest of his life. Could he have done something differently? Never knew, I think, what happened to all his colleagues.

WEINTRAUB: No.

MORGAN: There is another moment which I found very powerful, is when he's working with President Nixon and he believes him when President Nixon looks him in the eye and says, I had nothing to do with this, and he keeps believing him. And keeps believing him. And then the moment comes when out comes information which makes it clear, that President Nixon has been lying.

And he says in it, in that moment, sat down and wrote to him saying you must resign, and he then talks about his personal heartbreak at this disillusionment that he felt of this president lying to him. And again you get a sense of that forming how he then was as a president. Really interesting, I think.

WEINTRAUB: Yes, It was very. I happened to be close by when he got the news. And he was going on -- I think it -- I think it was on "Face the Nation" or "Meet the Press" the next day. I don't remember. He was the head of the RNC at the time. And he was crushed. He was absolutely crushed when it happened because he liked Nixon and he thought Nixon had done a great job in a lot of ways for the country. And he forgave him later on and helped him with his library and so on as time went on and things healed. But I don't think he ever got -- I don't know this for a fact. He never said it to me. But I don't -- I doubt he ever got over that moment and the fact that he was lied to.

MORGAN: And probably reconciled in himself that if he ever was in that position he would never do that.

WEINTRAUB: He would never have been that position.

(LAUGHTER)

WEINTRAUB: He would never have been in that position.

MORGAN: I mean he comes over as a fundamentally, very decent man.

WEINTRAUB: Piers, he's not only a very decent man, he's a great man. And as history is telling now and is happening, I watched it the last few years, they're really writing the story about this guy because he didn't -- he doesn't talk -- do it himself. He won't get out there and do it. He doesn't do a lot of interviews. And he won't sit around and say, well, we did this at this hour and we did this at this moment and all that stuff that presidents -- some presidents do, and some secretaries of state do, and et cetera, et cetera.

He doesn't do that stuff. He just was doing a job. When he was the ambassador to the United Nations he was doing a job. When he was the head of the CIA, he was doing a job. When he was -- whatever -- when he was liaison to China for Nixon, he was doing a job. And one job led to another. And in fact when you look at his complete body of work, no other man was as well-prepared for the presidency in the United States of America as George Bush. No other man.

MORGAN: Let's take a short break, come back and talk about the family which has been the bedrock of his life, from his wife to the daughter that I didn't realize he'd lost.

WEINTRAUB: Yes.

MORGAN: ...at the age of 3, a terrible tragedy in his life, and of course the son who went on to also become president.

WEINTRAUB: Yes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was it like to see your son elected president?

BUSH: Very emotional for me. Very proud father. It's first time it's happened, I guess, in the history of our country, except for the Adams'. But it was mind boggling. It was enormous and a source of great pride for the family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: A proud father and former president on his son winning the White House. The clips from the new HBO documentary "41." I'm back with the executive producer, Jerry Weintraub.

What a moment. I mean, to be a president and then see your son become president, in the modern era in particular. WEINTRAUB: Twice. Twice. And another son who was governor of Florida at the same time. Pretty extraordinary stuff. And he -- he took it in stride. But he was so proud of his sons, so proud of his son. And he also let his son go ahead and run the country.

MORGAN: There isn't much on his son in the movie. It's predominantly obviously about George Bush Sr. He doesn't really address -- I suppose the one thing I thought would have been interesting to hear him say is all the criticism that poured on his son's head, which he didn't have to deal with in anything like the same level of vitriol -- I was curious about what -- what he would have said about that.

You, as his friend, what do you think?

WEINTRAUB: I think he felt badly for his son, and -- when his son was criticized. But he didn't get involved in his son's administration. That was his son's administration. His son -- as far as I knew -- and he wanted his son to run his own ship. That's the way -- that's the way that family was.

MORGAN: Honestly amazing...

WEINTRAUB: It is.

MORGAN: Still is, and thrives today. Amazing marriage to Barbara, 67 years.

WEINTRAUB: Fantastic marriage.

MORGAN: I mean, one of the longest marriages I've ever heard, never mind presidential.

WEINTRAUB: She's a very, very strong woman. But -- and everybody knows that. She's a very strong woman. And you don't really want to cross swords with her. But the fact of the matter is that he's the boss, has been the boss. They have a fantastic partnership. They love each other to death. And they'll be together forever.

She was a beautiful, beautiful woman, and is a beautiful woman.

MORGAN: You see the pictures in the movie. Here's what I was struck by. There is a really powerful moment in this movie when -- I didn't know this story, but they have a daughter who is about three years old when she gets leukemia. And they try everything to try and save her life, prolong her life. And in the end, they fail. The doctors run out of ideas.

And as President Bush tells the story, you know, you feel the tears welling up watching him, never mind how he must be feeling. And yet he tells it with such eloquence and such emotion. And you can see that today it is as raw to him having to talk about it as it must have been at the time.

WEINTRAUB: I think it was -- is raw for him today. He's not somebody who feels sorry for himself. He feels blessed and so does Barbara feel blessed. They are blessed people. They have had a wonderful, wonderful life. That was a big jolt. There are jolts in life. That was as big as it gets. It doesn't get worse.

MORGAN: No. And he says he couldn't talk about it for a long time afterwards. And the footage that you have is so poignant. It's this beautiful little girl. And she dies before she is even four years old. It's heart breaking.

Yet they have joy at the end of the despair, because they then have another daughter. And he says he wasn't even sure how he would feel, but when the daughter came, it was just this great, huge enveloping of love for her.

WEINTRAUB: She had twice the love.

MORGAN: Clearly.

WEINTRAUB: It's great. The whole family is like that. When you go back to his dad and his mom -- I knew both of them in Kennebunkport. They were like that. They were strong people. And they gave him a sense of family and a sense of service. And that family is like that, they are totally committed to -- to the family and to life and to love and to doing the things right.

MORGAN: How have you managed to stay his big buddy for 45 years, given everyone in Hollywood has probably been opposed to his policies and his son's.

WEINTRAUB: I don't care. I don't care what people say in Hollywood. First of all, he came to Hollywood when he was the president of the United States and Barbara when she was first lady. We had parties for him at the house. Every big Hollywood star came. Every left-wing, liberal, progressive, whatever they call you today. I don't know. Everybody's got a title.

They all came to the house. George Bush loved looking at the pretty girls. Barbara Bush loved dancing with Warren Beatty. No problem with that. So it was -- they came and they were respected. The Office of the Presidency is above all that. And he didn't use it as a political tool.

MORGAN: Who would you get if you were casting a movie? Who would you get of all the people you worked with or seen to play George Bush Sr.?

WEINTRAUB: You know, I don't know. I have to think it through. I don't know. Right of the top of my head, I don't know. And also, if I did name somebody, I would lose five more of my stars.

MORGAN: I was thinking maybe Clint Eastwood.

WEINTRAUB: Clint, no? Clint's not -- at what age? They are about the same age.

MORGAN: When he was younger, there is a certain dash of the Hollywood movie star to the younger President Bush.

WEINTRAUB: Really?

MORGAN: Yeah, I think so.

WEINTRAUB: I think he'll like hearing that.

(CROSS TALK)

WEINTRAUB: When he watches that tonight, he will be -- maybe he will come back and do a detective series for me.

MORGAN: That would be fantastic, wouldn't it? It's a great documentary. I mean, it's a movie. As I said, it's very revealing. It's very surprising. And he just overall comes over as a thoroughly good chap who put service to his country before his own interest. And I think for that he should be greatly appreciated.

Jerry, it's been a pleasure.

WEINTRAUB: My pleasure, thanks.

MORGAN: It airs on HBO on June 14th. It's called "41." And I warmly recommend it. It's a fascinating film.

Coming up next, Chaz Bono talks about his fascinating new life as a single man, not what he expected when he was growing up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: When I talked to Chaz Bono last year, he had just written a powerful, honest account of his journey from a little girl America knew as Chastity to a man called Chaz. Well, a lot has happened since then, including the break up from his long term girlfriend and his controversial turn on "Dancing with The Stars."

So I am intrigued to welcome back the author of "Transition, Becoming Who I was Always Meant to Be," Chaz Bono. Chaz, how are you?

BONO: I'm good. How are you doing?

MORGAN: Well, I was just trying to think back to our last encounter, and what an extraordinary twist to your life that's gone on ever since. I thought then it had been a huge turn of events. Now suddenly, everything's changed all over again.

BONO: Yeah. You know, everything's just kind of steam rolled since the last time we saw each other. And you know, everything in my life is just going really well.

MORGAN: Let's play a little clip from the last interview we did. You were with Jen then. I want to just play what you were saying to each other then.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was raised Catholic and I still -- I feel that I need to be married by some religious figure, a rabbi, a priest, someone, someone with a connection to God. I don't know.

BONO: Yes, I'm not -- I was never religious. I actually really want my step mom to do it. MORGAN: So there you were, Chaz, talking very openly, the pair of you, about getting married. Obviously the nature of your relationship had changed fundamentally. You had gone from a woman and a woman relationship to a woman and a man relationship. And since then, sadly, you have broken up.

How much pressure did the fact that you had decided to become a man -- how much pressure did that put on the relationship, do you think, looking back?

BONO: I mean, I think it put some pressure on the relationship. But ultimately the reasons why we split up had really nothing to do with that. It was issues that we were dealing with, and just stark differences in -- in the people that we are and what we ultimately wanted out of life.

MORGAN: I mean, I get that you say that. But there must have been, for her, I guess, a huge sea change in the nature of the relationship. There she was, originally with a woman. Like I said, there is a fascinating, twist, isn't it, that she has to cope for you becoming a man. For you it was a huge change, but one that you were wholeheartedly embracing. Did you feel that she ever fully embraced what you were doing?

BONO: You know, I think that she did. But, of course, I have changed a lot. And you know, here's the -- it's really the internal changes that I think are the bigger changes. And I went from being, you know, really uncomfortable and kind of, you know, damaged for my whole life, to suddenly not being that way any more.

And as, you know -- as I started to feel so much better and my confidence rose and everything, I think I was probably less able to -- you know, I wanted to live the best life that I could and I wanted my partner to be able to, you know, kind of do that with me. And there were issues -- you know, deep seated issues around substance abuse and stuff like that, that had been really a problem almost since we first got together. And again, we just wanted difficult things out of life.

MORGAN: You also made this reality show, didn't you, "Being Chaz," which she seemed to feel uncomfortable about. Do you regret doing that, with hindsight?

BONO: I mean, it wasn't a pleasant thing to do, you know, honestly. But I don't know -- it couldn't have been predicted. We made the documentary and Jen was, you know, thrilled doing it. And this was something -- doing the follow up special was something that she said she wanted to do. And then once we were in the middle of it, you know, she decided that she hated the process. But at that point, you know, there wasn't really anything we could do about that.

MORGAN: Have you managed to stay friends?

BONO: Yeah I mean, I think we both cared very deeply for each other. And I want, you know, absolutely nothing but, you know, the best life for Jen. It was just I couldn't do it with her anymore. But I really hope that she, you know, gets everything that she wants. MORGAN: You, Chaz, are in the very unusual position for you of being a single man about town.

BONO: Yes.

MORGAN: How are you finding that?

BONO: Well, you know, I'm not the most outgoing fellow. You know, I'm not one of those guys who can just walk up and start chatting up a girl that I find attractive. So, you know, it's -- that really hasn't changed.

And the world is, I guess, full of possibilities when you're single, but mostly I'm just kind of enjoying the time on my own and with my friends and how, you know, being single at least for me forces me out of some of, you know, my bad habits, which is to you know isolate and not really be social and now I've had to really change all of that and so I'm just kind of enjoying the process of it and really I would say for the first time in my life I don't feel like I have to be in a relationship, that I'm incomplete if I'm not in one, and that feels really good.

MORGAN: Let's take a short break, Chaz. I want to come back and talk to you about the other woman in your life, Cher, your mother, and your congresswoman stepmother, Mary Bono Mack, who I've had the pleasure of talking to you about. I want to have a chat with you about them and their reaction, also how the public are reacting to the new Chaz.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHER, SINGER: You are the most courageous person I know. And you really deserve this award. And so come up and get this award.

MORGAN: Chaz Bono being honored at the GLAAD Media Awards. Chaz your mother, Cher, there calling you the most courageous person that she knows. That must have been quite a moment for you.

BONO: Yeah. You know, the whole night was really kind of amazing. Just being honored by GLAAD meant so much to me. I mean, I started my career so long ago, you know, working for GLAAD. And I believe so much in their mission. So just to, you know, be honored by them personally meant something. And then to have my mom and Mary there was -- you know, it was really nice.

MORGAN: Yeah, I've interviewed your stepmom a few times. She's a great lady, but she is very passionately defensive of you and also believes that you're an incredibly courageous young man. It must be great for you to have these two really strong, independent women in your corner.

BONO: Oh, yeah, absolutely. I mean, you know I've been so lucky because a lot of people who are transgendered and transition lose people from their lives and I really, you know, I've not lost a single person and I've just had the most, you know, tremendous support from the people in my life. MORGAN: The other thing you have been doing is dancing. And that was a pretty controversial appearance on "Dancing With the Stars." A, I thought you were a damn good dancer, certainly better than I am. Secondly, it obviously stirred up all sorts of bigotry and controversy and so on. There was this organization called OneMillionMoms.com, who hammered you, saying that "your casting was completely unacceptable and Christians should not watch the show. No excuses."

What did you feel when all that bile was being spilled in your direction?

BONO: You know, I think that it just -- when that first started with those type of people, I just kind of let it roll off my back. And I've always been pretty good at that. And I think -- I was already starting to rehearse. And I just really tried to focus on that. And then, you know, what started to happen as I got this counter-response to the kind of, you know, negative -- negativity and hatred speech. And I started to get so much support from people that -- you know, that I didn't know.

And that just kind of blew me away. And it really, you know, fed me to keep going through the whole competition.

MORGAN: Also since I spoke to you, we have had this sort of seismic moment, the president of the United States endorsing gay marriage. What did you think when you heard that President Obama was doing that?

BONO: I was -- I mean, I was so touched, you know? It just -- to me, it's really the civil rights, you know, issue of our time. And to have President Obama, you know, come out, to finally have a president, you know, be able to say that they believed in marriage equality, it just meant so much. You know?

And I have so many gay and lesbian friends. And it meant so much to them. And it -- you know, it's just -- especially in an election year, just amazing that this is no longer the issue that it was for so many years.

MORGAN: I mean having said that, the Republicans in their race to choose a nominee got pretty vocal about gay rights and their opposition towards it, including Mitt Romney who is now the nominee. If he becomes president, would that concern you to his position on, as you said, a new civil rights issue in many ways would be pretty intransigent?

BONO: You know, as a Democrat I'm always -- and especially after our last Republican president -- I'm concerned to have a Republican in the White House for any number of reason.

MORGAN: But particularly that one?

BONO: I get -- any number of reasons. I mean, yes on any type of social civil rights issues, you know, that's certainly scary, but you know I also worry about our economy, you know, just as much as anybody else. So...

MORGAN: Do you and your stepmother have lively debates about this, Chaz?

BONO: You know, we really -- we really don't. I mean, when we talk politics, we find the common ground. And the stuff that we feel differently about, you know, we don't let it get in the way of our relationship. You know, honestly, it got in the way of my relationship with my dad. I was a lot younger and took things more personally. And I think, you know, he wasn't really a great communicator, and at that point, I wasn't either.

And the lesson that I learned from that is family is so much more important than personal politics. And Mary and Connie have been there for me, you know, immediately, before even my mom was comfortable with my transition. And you know, because of that, I love them both. And no, we don't -- we don't let our different political opinions get in the way of anything.

MORGAN: Well, Chaz, it's great to catch up with you. I always feel like we should do this every year, because so much happens to you in the year in between. So do come back. It's a great updated version of the book. It's a very inspiring story, your story.

I sort of agree with your mother. You're a courageous guy. And it's good to see you having some happiness in your life.

BONO: Thank you. Good to see you too.

MORGAN: Take care.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: The eyes of the world are on London when the 2012 summer games just nine weeks away and one champion swimmer who plans to add to her collection of titles is Dara Torres. She's proud possessor of a dozen medals -- four gold, four silver, four bronze. And at the age of 45 she's going for the gold again as a perfect example of what I mean when I talk about keeping America great.

Dara, welcome.

TORRES: thank you.

MORGAN: You have restored my personal faith in my ability to win an Olympic gold. I'm 47. Everyone told me i was past it. You are living proof, it is not over for me. The dream hasn't died.

TORRES: The dream hasn't died. Well, you're lucky you don't have to worry about menopause. I still have to worry about that. I'm trying to get this Olympics over as quick as I can.

MORGAN: I see the ruthless streak in you.

TORRES: I try to hide it a little bit.

MORGAN: I've been told about this. You just have this steely little side. Beneath the sunny smile, the yellow sweater, there's this little ice maiden wanting to crush younger models.

TORRES: It might be in there somewhere.

MORGAN: How excited are you about London?

TORRES: You know, I'm very excited. It's been rough. After the Olympics I've had a couple surgeries, one big one in my knee, a reconstructive knee surgery.

MORGAN: I have to tell you, Dara, at this age this is what happens to us, our bodies begin to collapse.

TORRES: It does. I mean, this is -- my knee surgery obviously had to do with my training, but I got out of bed and I'm like, oh, my god, my back's out right now. And I'm going through that phase where it's not because of training, I'm just middle-aged.

MORGAN; One of the main reasons I guess you're competing again here -- and this might not be the end of the journey. Who knows? Rio in 2016? Why not?

TORRES: No, no.

MORGAN: Nothing could stop you.

TORRES: No. Seriously, I will be in menopause by Rio.

MORGAN: No one's going to believe you even if you say you're not going to do it in Rio. Nobody's going to believe you. The point I was going to make was, the reason I think you're so determined to win in London is in Beijing you lost by hundredth of a second. Watch this little clip of what you said about this.

TORRES: I am so competitive I can't not think about it. It's always going to bother me for the rest of my life, that's just the way I'm built. I'm upset that I lost by hundredth of a second.

MORGAN: I mean, watch. That's it.

TORRES: It's probably quicker than that.

MORGAN: It's even faster.

TORRES: I mean, when you watch a video it actually looks like I won. Like what the heck?

MORGAN: That's the picture there. You're on the right. You look like you're winning. What happened?

TORRES: I don't know.

MORGAN: In the last hundredth of a second did you just give up?

TORRES: No, I didn't give up. Oh, my gosh. You know my coach, what he told me is you swam the perfect race but maybe you just didn't touch the touch pad hard enough. And so actually what happened after that is i swam 30 minutes later and after he told me that I touched the wall and I broke my thumb and tore the ligament off my bone.

MORGAN: Seriously?

TORRES: Yeah. People don't know that's what happened after he told me I didn't touch the wall hard enough.

MORGAN: You went and broke your thumb?

TORRES: I broke my thumb in the next race.

MORGAN: Because you were so full of rage?

TORRES: I was just -- I couldn't believe I lost by a touch.

MORGAN: How hard are you hitting that wall to break your thumb?

TORRES: I didn't know I did it. I think it was just my coach in my head, you know, just telling me that i didn't touch the wall hard enough so the next race i guess I tried to prove that I could touch the wall hard enough.

MORGAN: Is there any experience in the world better than winning a gold medal at the Olympics? That you've enjoyed yourself.

TORRES: Having my daughter.

MORGAN: Other than that.

TORRES: Other than that. No. It's just...

MORGAN: No man?

TORRES: That's a good question. Now I'm blushing.

MORGAN: No, if I can say to you, look, Dara, here's the deal. You can have the best sex of your life all over again right now or Olympic gold in London.

TORRES: God, you're killing me with that question.

MORGAN: Which one are you going to take?

TORRES: Oh, my gosh.

MORGAN: I think it's the ultimate question.

TORRES: Okay. My fluff answer will be the gold medal.

MORGAN: Do you mean that?

TORRES: You know what? I do. Because...

MORGAN: You're actually thinking about something completely different now.

TORRES: I know you've got my mind all flustered...

MORGAN: I've got your mind race back to some -- I don't know where are we going? A beach?

MORGAN: Yeah, something like that.

No, the thing is that I earned this myself. So this is something that I worked my whole entire life for. So I think that's what makes it so rewarding.

MORGAN: I heard that all the young athletes come up to you in the American team, all the young turks. And you think they want to ask you about what's it like being on the podium and so on. And actually, what really focuses their mind in the Olympic arena when you're all together is the multicolored condom allocation. Is that true?

TORRES: I think I have to shut my mouth more. Yeah, you know, it's funny. So I always thought, well, I can be a big influence for the kids. They can come up to me, ask me questions about the Olympics and what to expect. And one day at the 2000 Olympics I got a knock on my door. And a bunch of the young teenagers come in and said Dara, Dara, we want to ask you a quick question.

I'm like sure.

And we sit on my bed. And they take out a magazine. It was folded to a page. I'm like what magazine is that? Cosmo? I'm like, okay. And they said look, look here. And they're pointing at it. They're saying they have, you know, rainbow condoms in the Olympic village.

I'm like you guys seriously that's what you want to know about?

And they're like yeah.

And I'm like okay, it's true. Next?

MORGAN: I always quaintly assumed that when you get to that stage of the preparation it's like boxers, there's no hanky-panky. From all I've been reading and hearing about from all the athletes I've interviewed, it's kind of relentless. It's like an explosion of rabbits in there.

TORRES: Well, it is, but it really does happen after the competition. Like people are really, really focused when they go. But you have to remember, you're with all these top athletes, the best athletes in the world from every sport. And when they're done competing, competing, the pressure is off and they want to have fun.

MORGAN: So they're all magnificent physical specimens.

TORRES: Yes. So why not, right?

MORGAN: Of course, I never did anything like that.

MORGAN: Did you have your eyes on anybody special this year after -- say you win gold, anyone on the American Olympic squad that you might be the lucky recipient of my joy?

TORRES: I'm as old as their mothers. There's no way that's going to happen. Maybe a coach.

MORGAN: I don't think anybody is watching this thinking you're over the hill In any sense, Dara.

TORRES: Yeah, but most of them call me mom.

MORGAN: Reaching your peak.

TORRES: I am at my peak.

MORGAN: Now talking of peaks, I'm told that you have -- I've never seen this in the flesh obviously, but I'm told that you have the greatest six pack in the world. So after the break, I'm going to ask Dara Torres to show me the world's greatest six pack, live on air.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: I'm back with Dara Torres.

I had been told you had the greatest six pack in the history of the female population certainly. And we are about to establish whether that is true in a live television experiment.

Dara, stand please.

TORRES: Are we going to stand side by side and do it together?

MORGAN: No, we're not. I wouldn't inflict that on my viewers. But I would like to see the greatest six pack in history.

Oh, my gosh. They weren't kidding, were they.

TORRES: It's okay.

MORGAN: You actually have no stomach.

TORRES: I do have a stomach.

MORGAN: It's gone. You've had 45 years old and you've had children.

TORRES: I have one child. It's hidden in there. There's some loose skin.

MORGAN: OK, let's get to -- women watch this, falling over saying how, how do you keep that six pack looking like that?

TORRES: Well, people have to remember I do this for a living. So that's first and foremost is that I do this -- I word out every day..

MORGAN: For how long?

TORRES: Probably between four and six hours.

MORGAN: You eat loads of ice cream I was told. Is that true?

TORRES: Where do you get your information from?

MORGAN: I've just done a very thorough research job on you.

TORRES: I feel like you're big brother watching me.

Yeah, I like ice cream. I'm trying to be betting about my eating because it's not as easy for me to recover right now. My biggest thing is recovery. I -- problem is being able to swim three races to qualify or being able to swim three races to win a medal. So with my recovery, what I do now is I make sure I get lots of rest. I make sure that I do stretching, which called kihara (ph) stretching which really kind of stretch out your body get the lactic acid out. And I make sure when I have muscle aches and pains I use Bengay.

MORGAN: You're the ambassador for Bengay.

TORRES: I am, yes.

MORGAN: When your muscles get sore.

TORRES: Yeah. I mean you could -- like I said we were talking about how I get out of bed and my back went out, just rub a little Bengay stick on you -- Zero Degrees and I'm good to go.

MORGAN: Now tell me about your psychic friend, Bernard.

TORRES: Oh, Bernard, yes.

MORGAN: Bernard, I'm so sorry.

TORRES: I just went to him the other day.

MORGAN: Now he predicted you would win gold in Beijing. So did you fire him?

TORRES: No. He's great. He's pretty much been almost on with everything, just about.

MORGAN: What has he said about London?

TORRES: I don't like to share that, because I don't want to jinx anything.

MORGAN: You can trust me. It'll stay between us.

TORRES: It'll stay between us?

MORGAN: And hundreds of millions of people around the world. What has he got right?

TORRES: He's gotten a lot right about my personal life.

MORGAN: Like what?

TORRES: Well, okay. I remember I was having problems conceiving. For many years I tried and he was correct about having a daughter and being able to...

MORGAN: Really?

TORRES: Yeah, yeah. So it's one of those...

MORGAN: You were having trouble conceiving and he predicted you would have a daughter?

TORRES: Yeah.

MORGAN: That's amazing.

TORRES: Yeah, he's predicted about my coach actually when he was sick. And I don't know. There's not a set schedule I go to him, it's just when I feel like I need a little reassurance about something I go to him.

MORGAN: So he's more like a kind of, like more like a life coach would do.

TORRES: A little bit, but he's a medium. I mean he speaks...

MORGAN: Who does he talk to?

TORRES: Well, what you do is you go in there and he leaves the room and you take a card and you write down three questions that you want answered and your write down three people who have passed away and you sign and print your name. And so you can ask what you want answered. And you can questions as its going, but what he does the people who you've wrote who have passed away that are on your card, he speaks to them.

MORGAN: How extraordinary.

TORRES: It's pretty cool. I mean, it's amazing, because a lot of the stuff he says, there's no way he could know.

MORGAN: So which relatives, if you don't mind me asking.

TORRES: My dad.

MORGAN: Who passed away.

TORRES: Yeah, my dad who passed away.

MORGAN: And you have a conversation through this man? TORRES: I don't have a conversation -- yeah, he's an example, I asked something and my dad came in and he started talking about how my dad only wants me to finish this last one because he wants to see me have a family and you know have that come first. And he's told me since I was like 21. I mean, exactly like what my dad said is exactly what Bernard said. And it's just stuff he wouldn't know.

MORGAN: That's gripping. Tell me about your checkered romantic life. Because that's also quite gripping.

TORRES: I didn't know it was checkered.

MORGAN: Well, you had two fairly quick fire marriages.

TORRES: I did. The first two marriages I had didn't work out for various reasons. And when I got together with the father of my daughter, we were together for six years. But I don't -- like it's one of those things where I don't know if I'll ever get married again, because I feel like the relationship has to just -- after having two failed marriages, I don't want another one. So it has to be perfect in order for me to.

MORGAN: Can anyone who is driven as much as you are to win, can you ever really be in a long, long-term relationship, or is the first love really in that water winning? Until that's done in your life, do you think you've got a chance?

TORRES: Well, I guess I'll find out in a few months.

MORGAN: Well, what do you think? Do you feel that you're.

TORRES: I feel like I'm ready to move on. Like my dad said is be more family oriented and settle down.

MORGAN: So one last gold in London?

TORRES: I actually would just like to make the Olympic team. That's my goal right now.

MORGAN: They will won't you?

TORRES: I hope so.

MORGAN: They couldn't leave you out.

TORRES: Well, it's not -- they don't have a choice. I have to get first or second in my event and the toughest thing for me is be swim it three times. If I just had one race and they said this is it and you go, I would be fine. It's being able to swim it two more times is where my issue is.

MORGAN: You'll do it.

TORRES: Thank you.

MORGAN: I have every confidence, Dara.

TORRES: Go ask Bernard and see what he says.

MORGAN: That's go and call him.

TORRES: Let's call.

MORGAN: It's been a pleasure.

TORRES: It's so nice meeting you.

MORGAN: Best of luck. I hope to see you in London.

TORRES: Thank you very much.

MORGAN: Dara Torres, quite an inspiration to all us oldies.