Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York is setting the record straight when it comes to her rumoured Spanish boyfriend Manuel Fernandez. Discussing the entrepreneur with Daily Mail she said, "Manuel is a wonderful person, but we are just friends - friends and business partners."
The 56-year-old continued, "I'm the ambassador for his new lifestyle app, vVoosh, which is launching this year." Manuel added that he and the Duchess have "always been friends."
Sarah Ferguson has said she is "just friends" with Manuel Fernandez
While Sarah and Manuel never confirmed their relationship, they were rumoured to have been dating after being introduced through mutual friends in early 2014. The pair made a glamorous couple at various events throughout the last year, including the Cannes Film Festival, a black tie gala at London's Natural History Museum and the wedding of Sir Bob Geldof to Jeanne Marine.
The businessman was even introduced to Sarah's daughter Princess Beatrice, and accompanied the mother-daughter duo to a motor race meeting in Battersea in the summer.
The pair were reported to have date for two years
At the beginning of March it was rumoured that Sarah had been left "devastated" after their relationship came to an end, however they made a joint appearance at a private auction for Sarah's children's charity in London earlier this month, suggesting that they remain good friends.
Manuel has been a keen supporter of Sarah's children's charity in recent years, and channels ten per cent of profits from his internet venture vVoosh through a charitable foundation that supports various causes including Children in Crisis.
Sarah has focused a lot of attention on her charity work in recent weeks and was honoured for her philanthropic work at the Starlite children's charity gala in Mexico City earlier this month. The Duchess was joined at the exclusive event by Antonio Banderas, and spoke of her devotion to helping those less fortunate than herself.