Lance Armstrong said he felt "ashamed and humbled" during the second round of his interview with Oprah. He said he would like to return to competitive sport, and became emotional whilst talking of the impact of the scandal on his family.
Lance Armstrong was close to tears when he spoke about his having to tell his son not to defend him.
He said: "When this all really started I saw my son defending me and saying 'what you are saying about my dad is not true'. And almost goes to this question of why now.
"That's when I knew I had to tell him. And he had never asked me, he had never said 'dad is this true?' He trusted me.
"At that time I didn't say something, but I knew I had to."
Lance Armstrong cannot expect to be redeemed after his brief TV confession. Names must be named.
Tyler Hamilton, a former team-mate of Lance Armstrong who implicated him in the doping scandal, has told ITV News, "I'm proud of him".
The self-flagellation makes for gripping television but it does not really amount to much in the long run.