A screen grab of Ashley Dupré’s final sex-and-relationship advice column, which ran Saturday. (Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Moving on to what she calls “the next chapter in my life,” Ashley Dupré – the high-priced escort in New York’s 2008 ‘Luv Guv’ scandal –  has pulled the plug on her career as a New York Post sex-and-relationship advice columnist in order to focus on her new Red Bank lingerie and swimwear store, she says.

In her swan-song column, published on Saturday, Dupré thanked readers “for helping me find my path in life” while at the same time plugging her Broad Street boutique, Femme by Ashley.

In an exclusive interview with redbankgreen earlier this month about her new life as a retailer, Dupré said the column had “run its course,” and that she was now caught up in the day-to-day of running a retail business.

But the column, she said in the interview, had helped her transition from the 22-year-old hooker whose romps with Eliot Spitzer prompted the sudden end of his term as New York governor to her present life as a 27-year-old business owner.

Addressing her readers in the column, Dupré wrote:

The most important thing you all taught me is that we need to pay more attention to the people we love the most. Almost every question I received traced its problems back to someone taking their partner for granted. I’ve worked hard to keep myself from falling into that rut. And my beau does the same.

For me, one of the best antidotes to the doldrums of dating is lingerie. Classy, sexy lingerie. I love it. My boyfriend loves it. It sets the mood and makes our sexy time together feel like an event, not just a simple act.

Which brings me to the next chapter in my life, Femme by Ashley, a boutique I recently opened in Red Bank, NJ. This will be my last Ask Ashley column as I move on to focus on the shop, where I sell swimwear, swim accessories and — of course! — lingerie.

When I decided to sell lingerie, it had nothing to do with sex, by the way. It’s more about keeping a love affair alive and exciting. I have dressing rooms designed for couples, so a woman’s partner can watch her try on her favorite pieces — it’s the ultimate foreplay!

Plus, when she dresses to impress later on, she’ll feel totally confident that her boyfriend thinks she looks hot! And confidence is the key ingredient to great sex.

So in closing I offer one last piece of advice to my readers: Life is short — live it passionately.