New York, Mar. 15: Ashley Alexandra Dupre, the high-priced hooker who spelt curtains for the political career of former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, says that she realized it was him only during their last encounter.

"Oh, my God! Do you know who this guy is?" a shocked Ashley Alexandra Dupre asked her bosses at the Emperors Club VIP escort service, a source was quoted by the New York Post, as saying.

The comment came after her 4,300 dollar meeting with Spitzer at a Washington hotel on February 13.

The 22-year-old call girl had several dates with the governor over the past year, the sources said, but always knew him as "George Fox" - the name of one of Spitzer's close friends that he used to hide his identity.

But just before Dupre - whom Spitzer knew as "Kristen" - had her startling revelation, federal authorities caught the governor on tape giving them enough evidence to take down the sex ring, paving the way for his embarrassing resignation.

Sources say Dupre got involved with the Emperors Club as early as 2006 after responding to an ad from the agency seeking girls to "party" with deep-pocketed men.

After meeting with her, the escort service's operators liked what they saw. She took to the job quickly.

"Like all of them, she wanted to hang out with guys with money," a source said.

After moving to New York to pursue a music career in 2004, Dupre worked as a cocktail waitress, hostess and bartender at New York hot spots like Viscaya, Pink Elephant and Retox. She partied with club promoters and bragged about hobnobbing with hip-hoppers like Sean "Diddy" Combs.

"She's been hanging around the night-life scene for a few years," said one well-connected club source. "She's definitely a party girl. She was out four, five nights a week and was a staple. She danced on tables and had fun."

Few knew she was financing her high-octane lifestyle through the oldest profession on earth.

Dupre continued her pursuit of a music career and in early 2007 had a photographer friend shoot glamour photos of her to use in her portfolio.

Shot in a Manhattan studio, the pictures show a smoky-eyed Dupre, sporting tattoos in both Latin and Arabic. Some of them read: "What does not destroy me makes me stronger," "Protect your own," and "Never give up."

On her MySpace page - where she admitted, "Yeah, I did it," after word of her involvement with Spitzer emerged - Dupre described struggling with drugs. Sources said the tattoos were mantras to help keep her clean.

Born Ashley Youmans, Dupre grew up in Seaside Heights and Wall Township by the Jersey Shore. She also mentioned being abused while growing up, saying it forced her to run away - a claim one family friend called ridiculous. (ANI)