Paula Deen's Former Publicist Speaks Out, Calls Her Response 'Cringeworthy'

Nancy Assuncao, a publicist who worked for Paula Deen for six years but quit in the wake of her diabetes announcement, has given a couple interviews to CNN now that Deen has been fired by the Food Network. "Paula would always make fun of me and call me 'Politically Correct Nancy' because I was like the mommy in the group," Assuncao told Anderson Cooper. She says she would sometimes warn Deen to watch what she was saying.

"No one loved a good dirty joke better than Paula," said Assuncao. "But I never heard her say anything that was horrible." Assuncao also said she hasn't spoken to Deen since she quit working for her last year. When asked about how Deen's current team is handling the scandal, Assuncao said "In all fairness, Anderson, it was cringeworthy." Assuncao also gave a brief interview to Jim Acosta. She said, "This is sad. This is a disappointing turn of events." Both clips are below:

Video: Anderson Cooper Talks to Former Deen Publicist

Video: Jim Acosta Talks to Former Deen Publicist

· Former Flack: Deen Talked Dirty, Not Nasty [CNN]
· Deen's former publicist: This saddens me [CNN]
· All PaulaDeenGate Coverage on Eater [-E-]