Sarah Ferguson advises Heather Mills McCartney to get off 'public stage' if glare is too much

~ Mills McCartney went on a tirade this week against the British press.

NEW YORK -- Sarah Ferguson, no stranger to unflattering coverage in the British press, can empathize with Heather Mills McCartney, but doesn't have much sympathy for Paul McCartney's estranged wife in her battle with the media.

Mills McCartney, who is going through a bitter divorce with the ex-Beatle, went on a tirade this week against the British press on talk shows in London and the U.S.

Ferguson said she can understand Mills McCartney's frustration.

"It's quite difficult when you're in it -- when it's right in your face," the Duchess of York said Thursday night. "But there's always a reason for it, so maybe you have to change something in yourself."

"It's give and take," she said. "... If you are on the public stage, it's your public stage. Otherwise, don't be on the public stage. That's what I really think. If you're on it, accept it, if you don't want to accept it, get off it."

Ferguson spoke at La Dolce Vita, a charity dinner and concert that not only honored Ferguson for her past charitable works but also served as the kickoff of her new organization, The Sarah Ferguson Foundation, which promises to be the "global voice for forgotten children and causes."

Aretha Franklin and Natasha Bedingfield were among the performers at the event, held at Cipriani's. Other celebs in attendance included Brandy and LL Cool J. Though the event raised $575,000 for the foundation, Ferguson said doing charity events is becoming more challenging "because everything is oversaturated."

That's why Ferguson said she has learned to value the media -- because it has given her a voice to speak out about causes that she cares about. But she acknowledges there were times when she wanted to shrink away from the spotlight.

"When you walk into a room and everyone looks you up and down, maybe because they judge you from what they've read, that's the worst part. But then after that, you realize, everybody's up to something. There's always some skeleton in some closet. You just have to get on. ... It's taken me 47 years to understand that!"