Survivor: China’s Denise Martin Apologizes for ‘Misleading’ Viewers

But by Tuesday morning, Martin was on the CBS Early Show answering allegations that she did not, in fact, lose her job as she claimed during Sunday’s telecast.

“It was not my intention to be misleading,” Martin said, responding to a
press release issued by the Douglas, Mass., school superintendent Nancy T. Lane on the school’s web site on Monday.

“Nancy has been outstanding to me….I appreciate everything they’ve done, and I’m sorry. I apologize to everybody. If none of this had happened, I could never say I’m sorry enough.”

In the release, Lane says in part: “Although Mrs. Martin was a cafeteria employee prior to her selection as a contestant, she asked to be considered for a promotion to full-time custodian, and was promoted to this position on March 30, 2007. This promotion came with additional benefits and a higher salary. Following her leave, she then returned to this same position.”

Originally, Martin claimed her new custodial job—while found her working nights—adversely affected her family, offering her little time to spend with her children.

After Sunday’s telecast, Martin said her surprise prize money was a real boon. “I was in shock,” she told PEOPLE. “I couldn’t believe that [Burnett] actually did that.”

For her part, Lane says everybody is disappointed by Martin’s fabrications. “We did nothing but encourage her,” she told Entertainment Weekly.