Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong has likened himself to fictional villain Voldemort from the Harry Potter franchise because he is someone who "everybody wants to pretend never lived".
Almost three years ago, the 43-year-old Texan was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from competitive cycling for life due to numerous doping offences.
Armstrong has also expressed concerns that he will suffer financially as a result of the $100m (£64.7m) whistleblower case put forward by Floyd Landis, who is a former US Postal teammate of the cyclist.
In interviews with the Daily Mail and The Telegraph, Armstrong said: "I'm that character in Harry Potter they can't talk about - Voldemort? It's as if you can't mention him. I'm the one everybody wants to pretend never lived.
"But that will not be the case forever because it can't be the case forever. That won't work, people aren't stupid. I mean, I tried to make it right with every one of those people - I can only do so much.
"The whistleblower case is a $100m case. We would not be sitting at this table anymore. We wouldn't be sitting in this home anymore. We wouldn't be sitting in any home. I don't have $100m."
Armstrong admitted in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in January 2013 that he was guilty of doping.
