London, June 28 Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson has resorted to a radical diet for a TV show after she pledged to be "footballer fit" in time for her 50th birthday.

The former Royal, who vowed to drop pounds so that she could get into a racy black bikini by October, will also bag 50,000 pounds for the hour-long special entitled Fit At 50.

"I am going to run along the beach at 50 and be footballer fit, not just fit fit," News of the World quoted her as saying.

She added: "I'll be running down that beach in my small black bikini."

The mum-of-two, who was left with food addiction after her marriage split with Prince Andrew, was also said to have roped in David Beckham's personal trainer Neil Lewis to get back in shape for the occasion.

An ITV1 insider said: "There's enormous excitement that Sarah's agreed to get involved. Make no mistake, she's facing a hard slog in the gym.

"There will be no where to hide on the beach. Viewers will see her looking like she has never done before." (ANI)