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‘Deep End of the Ocean’ Author Jacquelyn Mitchard Lost Her Entire Fortune: Find Out How

The deep end of debt. Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of the 1996 bestselling book The Deep End of the Ocean, lost millions of dollars when she and her family mistakenly trusted a shady financial adviser. The scribe opened up about her harrowing experience in an upcoming episode of Oprah: Where Are They Now? which is set to air on Saturday, March 19.

“Everything, all the money is gone,” Mitchard, 64, says in a preview clip.

Oprah Winfrey with Jacquelyn Mitchard
Oprah Winfrey with Jacquelyn Mitchard

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According to the show’s site, Mitchard lost her fortune in 2009 when the adviser emptied her family’s bank account. As a result, Mitchard and her husband, Christopher Brent Sornberger, lost their home and the college money they had saved for their nine children. The family also had to use food stamps.

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Mitchard, who now resides in Brewster, Massachusetts, was the first author to be selected for Oprah’s Book Club, in 1996. Twenty years later, she is promoting a new book, Two If By Sea. (She’s also written several other adult and young adult books.)

Oprah Winfrey with Jacquelyn Mitchard
Oprah Winfrey with Jacquelyn Mitchard

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Mitchard will discuss her past and more in her sit-down interview with Winfrey. She will go into further detail about her money woes and how it took a toll on her career.

Author Jacquelyn Mitchard poses for a portrait at the Luxe Summit Hotel on April 23, 2005, in Los Angeles.
Author Jacquelyn Mitchard poses for a portrait at the Luxe Summit Hotel on April 23, 2005, in Los Angeles.

Mitchard’s Oprah: Where Are They Now? episode airs on OWN on Saturday, March 19, at 10 p.m. ET.

Watch the sneak peek in the video above. 

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