Trump hits out at 'sleazy' Selina Scott after TV interview

with him shown on ITV last month.

The billionaire American property developer branded her ''very

sleazy'', ''unattractive'', ''obnoxious'' and ''boring'' in letters to

her and to King Constantine of Greece, said to have acted as a

go-between.

Dismissing Scott as having ''little talent'' and her questions as

''foolish'', Trump called her ''deceptive and dishonest'' and claimed

she had ''cried and begged'' for him to re-do the interview.

But the 43-year-old presenter, once voted TV's sexiest woman, hit

back, saying: ''If you've got an ego as big as the Empire State

Building, you're liable to get upset if someone dents it.''

0 In his letter to Scott, Trump wrote: ''Up until last spring I had

never heard of you -- and then I received a phone call from 'King

Constantine', formerly of Greece.

''While I had never met nor spoken to him before, I acceded to his

wish when he came to my office and asked that I see you for an

interview.''

The king was ''very insistent, in an extremely nice way,'' that he

should do the programme, Selina Scott Meets Donald Trump.

He continues: ''As most people know, you are not a first class

reporter. The interview and questions were boring and foolish, but I

nevertheless finished.

''I did mention to you that you were both deceptive and dishonest. I

was not 'ranting and raving' when I spoke to you as was reported; rather

I was more disgusted than anything else.''

He assumed she would return to London and do a ''hatchet job'' on him,

he said.

''Instead, about 6pm the same evening, I received a pathetic telephone

call from you telling me that the film had 'cancelled' and would either

not show color, not pick up sound, or maybe not show at all. The camera

your staff was using was defective.

''You cried and begged that I re-do the interview. This was very

inconvenient for me as I was preparing to receive guests for an

important dinner party that night. I nevertheless felt sorry for you in

that you are obviously a woman who has seen better days.''

The letter continues: ''When the piece aired, I saw that it was edited

in such a manner as to be outright false. To show how nasty you are,

despite my having loused up an evening by helping you to get out of your

own mistake relative to a defective camera, the piece was mean-spirited,

snide and in many respects, totally inaccurate.''

He added: ''Selina, you have little talent and, from what I have seen,

even fewer viewers. You are no longer 'hot'; perhaps that is the curse

of dishonesty. You would, obviously, go to any lengths to try to restore

your faded image, but guess what -- the public is aware and apparently

much brighter than you. They aren't tuning in!

''I hope you are able to solve your problems before it is too late.''

He wrote to King Constantine: ''I know it was not willingly or with

knowledge, but you did me no favours by asking me to do an interview

with a very sleazy and unattractive Selina Scott.

''She misrepresented much of the information that I gave her and tried

very hard to make me look as foolish as possible.

''Again, I know that you were well intentioned, so in effect she

stabbed you in the back just as she did me.''

Scott, who has just clinched a reported #200,000 deal to present her

own chat show on NBC Super Channel, said: ''I was very pleased with the

programme. I thought it was a fair portrait of the man, though I didn't

pull any punches. I admit that I was a little mischievous -- and I can

understand his reaction.

''I did actually send him the reviews when they appeared -- but I

haven't heard a word from him.''

The letter to her is due to arrive today, although it was leaked to

the media earlier.

A spokesman for Grampian Television said: ''What we tried to do was

give the British public the opportunity to draw their own conclusions of

Donald Trump, who is a most remarkable person.

''These comments give the British public further insight into his

character.''

The row comes as a surprise after it was reported that Trump was

''absolutely knocked sideways'' by Scott when they met.

One report quoted a source who worked on the programme as saying: ''He

kept taking her out to parties, looking dewy-eyed and saying, 'May I

introduce the legendary Selina Scott from Europe?'''

But Scott was said to have ''hated the way he was always brushing his

hair'', the story said.