Domestic diva begins prison life

BILLIONAIRE domestic diva Martha Stewart reported to prison before sunrise yesterday to begin serving a sentence for lying about a share sale, slipping all but unnoticed past waiting supporters and media.

The celebrity homemaker will be in the minimum-security prison in Alderson, West Virginia, for five months, where she will have the opportunity of earning between 10c (€0.08) and 30c (€0.24) an hour for work.

While inside, Stewart will forego five months of her €750,000 yearly basic pay from her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

She said on her website she was looking forward to returning to work in March Stewart, 63, was convicted last March of lying to investigators about why she sold shares in a biotech drug maker just before its price plunged. She was allowed to remain free pending appeal but asked to begin serving her time anyway, saying she wanted to reclaim her life.