Stewart says holiday season saddest ever

Martha Stewart, facing trial in the new year on her stock-trading scandal, says her legal woes have curtailed her holiday plans.

"It's the saddest holiday ever. It's an unwelcome time for me, very unwelcome," she told CNN's "Larry King Live" in a taped interview scheduled for broadcast on Monday. "I generally have a Christmas party but this year I'm only having a small family party."

In excerpts from the interview provided to The Associated Press, Stewart, 62, denies any wrongdoing, but said the upcoming trial has caused her a lot of pain.

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"You have no idea how much worry and sadness and grief it causes," she said, referring to herself as "having done nothing wrong."

Stewart's criminal trial on securities fraud and conspiracy charges is slated to begin Jan. 12. She is accused of lying to investigators about why she unloaded ImClone Systems stock on Dec. 27, 2001, just before it plunged on a negative government review of the company's cancer drug.

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Prosecutors contend she made the sale because of an insider tip that the family of ImClone founder Samuel Waksal was trying to sell its shares. Stewart insists the shares were sold because she had a standing order with her broker to sell the stock if it fell below a certain point.

Despite the ordeal, Stewart said she hasn't allowed herself to get angry.

"You can't let that get to you because then, again, your functionality, your daily chores can't get done," she says. "And my legal team has inspired me to behave in an appropriate fashion."