Charles added to the feeding frenzy when Paula was accused of being a racist and using the n-word
Charles' lawyer tells MailOnline she is not working as a chef in a restaurant or at a school
Paula once called Dora her 'soul sister' but now Dora spends her days looking after her four grandchildren
Soul sisters: The friends were once so close Dora helped Paula come up with many of her recipes. Dora also appeared with the celebrity chef on TV and on the cover of one of her cookbooks, Paula Deen & Friends
But after Charles spoke out when the 66-year-old was embroiled in allegations that she had used the 'n-word' last summer, she was fired by Deen.
And now, while Deen has launched her comeback with the announcement of a $75 million restaurant near Dollywood in Tennessee, Charles is living from hand to mouth.
The contrast between the two women, who were so close they called each other 'Soul Sisters.' could not be greater.
Since being let go from Deen's flagship restaurant Lady & Sons in Savannah, Georgia, Charles has found it hard to get regular work.
Friends say Charles, who lives in a trailer home where she looks after her four grandchildren, is surviving on savings.
When contacted by MailOnline, Charles referred all calls to her attorney. That lawyer, Wesley Wolf, confirmed to MailOnline that she is no longer working for Deen and is not employed as a chef in a restaurant or a school.
‘I have no comment to make on Mrs. Charles's employment,’ he said.
He said Charles was not allowed to talk about her past employment and friendship with Deen, but would not explain why. But he denied that 60-year-old Charles had been threatened with or was facing legal action from Deen.
‘When the time is right we will say what she has been doing. I am not going to say anything now.’
Staff at the Lady & Sons said they were not surprised when Charles was asked to leave last July.
It followed the publication of a highly damaging New York Times interview with Charles, where she made allegations that added fuel to the fire after Deen was first accused of racism.
'When the paper came out the manager came into the kitchen and told her to go home,' said a staff member.
'We haven't heard from her or seen her since. But you cannot bad mouth your employer and still expect to have a job.'
Just why Charles chose to speak out and 'betray' her close friend has baffled many people who know her.
'She lost a perfectly good job and for what?' said one neighbor.
'Paula has been very good to her over the years. Dora might not be a millionaire but she had a job for life. She threw it away.'
But Charles claimed that Paula had wronged her. She said Deen had told her 'Stick with me, Dora, and I promise you one day if I get rich you'll get rich.'
Charles said she wished she had got the promise in writing, adding: 'I didn't think I had to cause we were real close back then.'
Indeed, Paul has used a number of Dora’s recipes or variations of them in her climb to the top, including Dora’s baked spaghetti and Dora’s jerk chicken. But it remains unclear whether or not Paula compensated Charles in any significant way, if at all.
Charles’ comments about Deen's alleged mistreatment cemented the perception of many that the celebrity chef was a racist.
Ecclesiasticus 2:10
Never trust thine enemy for like as iron rusteth so is his wickedness
Ecclesiasticus 12:16
An enemy speaketh sweetly with his lips but in his heart he imagineth how to throw thee into a pit he will weep with his eyes but if he find opportunity he will not be satisfied with blood
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