Rachel Uchitel reveals why she rejected Donald Trump's TV offer after Tiger Woods cheating scandal

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Rachel Uchitel, known for her involvement in Tiger Woods' high-profile cheating scandal, revealed that she rejected an offer from Donald Trump to appear on 'Celebrity Apprentice'. 

On Page Six’s 'Virtual Reali-Tea' podcast, the nightclub manager shared, "Donald Trump called my phone at, like, 7 … one morning. I was in Las Vegas. I’ll never forget. I woke up and it was Donald Trump on the other end of the line asking me to do '[Celebrity] Apprentice.'"

Rachel Uchitel was initially inclined to accept Donald Trump's 'Celebrity Apprentice' offer

Initially, Rachel Uchitel thought of accepting the offer. She noted on the podcast, "We talked about it and I basically said yes because why wouldn’t I?"

However, she soon reconsidered, feeling that another show might offer a better opportunity to reshape her public image.

Instead of 'Celebrity Apprentice', Uchitel chose VH1's 'Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew', which she saw as a chance to redefine herself after being labeled the villain in Woods' scandal.

"I decided to do 'Celebrity Rehab' for the reason that I felt like, 'Listen, everybody in the world hates me right now. They’re talking about me in a way that I don’t even recognize,'" explained Uchitel.

The constant negative attention from the media had deeply affected her, and she felt the need to showcase who she truly was.

In late 2009, The National Enquirer published an expose about Woods' supposed affair with Uchitel, which brought her significant public scrutiny and she was portrayed as the primary reason for the golfer's split from his then-wife, Elin Nordegren.

Later, several other women came forward to say that they had affairs with the professional golfer. 

Rachel Uchitel chose to appear on 'Celebrity Rehab' to control her narrative

Rachel Uchitel believed that 'Celebrity Rehab', with its around-the-clock filming format, would provide a platform for viewers to see beyond the scandal and understand her as a person.

"That’s why I chose to do 'Celebrity Rehab' because I had three weeks of being on the show, they weren’t going to edit me in a certain way," shared the 49-year-old.

Unlike 'Celebrity Apprentice', where she feared being portrayed through a harsh lens, 'Celebrity Rehab' offered an environment for open, raw conversations.

"You’re being filmed 24 hours a day — besides when you’re sleeping — and they couldn’t make me into something that I wasn’t if I didn’t give them that," explained Uchitel.

In hindsight, she feels she made the right choice, as 'Celebrity Rehab' allowed her to control her narrative and share her side of the story.

Long before her name was associated with Woods, Uchitel had her first brush with the media under very different circumstances.

In 2001, she was thrust into the public eye when she appeared on the cover of the New York Post.

The heartbreaking photo showed her outside Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital, holding a picture of her fiance, Andy O’Grady, who was a victim of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.