Sarah Ferguson’s daughters are said to be living in fear for their mum, as the Duchess of York lurches from crisis to crisis. Royal insiders say Princess Beatrice, 23, and Princess Eugenie, 22, have had a succession of “heart-to-heart” talks with her in recent months, pleading with her to get help – and they have repeatedly told their dad Prince Andrew how worried they are about her.

A source close to the young princesses tells Woman’s Day that last weekend Eugenie tearfully confessed to her father that she has started to avoid speaking to her mum because she is struggling to cope with her meltdown. Eugenie apparently sobbed as she told Andrew, “When I see it is her calling I don’t answer and then she leaves voicemails or she writes me these long emails. But I can’t keep trying to solve all her problems – I’m her daughter. She should be the one helping me.
She needs to see a proper therapist.”

And Bea and Eugenie aren’t the only ones advising the troubled duchess to seek professional help confronting her demons. When Oprah Winfrey had four missed calls from Sarah in 24 hours, she knew something was very wrong and she had little choice but to get in contact with her immediately.

When she finally reached her, she was shocked to discover that a frazzled and frantic Fergie was begging for a chance to build a TV career on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Oprah listened in disbelief as the 52-year-old launched into a rambling explanation of her plan to “save us both”.

Read more about why Fergie needs help in this this week's Woman’s Day on sale Monday July 16, 2012.