OPRAH bares her SOUL
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ|March 2020
Oprah’s remarkable career is built on her uncanny ability to get others to open up, but her own inner life has been something of a mystery, says William Langley. Now a marathon US tour and a new mental health documentary series with Prince Harry promise to reveal more about what makes the superstar tick.
William Langley
OPRAH bares her SOUL

Another city, another sold-out show, another salute to the imperishable power of Oprah. The world changes, but its queen of the airwaves only makes adjustments, and after a lifetime on the road, Oprah Winfrey, at 66, believes she can finally see a destination.

“I’ve reached the point where I’m okay with where I am,” Oprah said at the start of her epic new 18,000km Vision 2020 tour of America’s biggest cities. “It’s taken a long time and it’s been really hard… but I think I’m there.” The talk show days are done, and having followed up with success as an actress, entrepreneur, philanthropist, political power-broker, and de facto global godmother, Oprah now intends to take herself directly to the masses.

For all her fame, amassed during one of the most astonishing careers in entertainment history, Oprah remains, in many ways, a mystery. Her core skill has been reaching into the souls and psyches of others, rather than revealing her own. Fame and money, she says, have had the paradoxical effect of adding to her insecurity. “I’m essentially an introvert,” she recently admitted to actress Amy Schumer. “People don’t believe it, but I find it hard to open up. I go to parties where I can’t think of anything to say and have to run to the bathroom.”

Her inner life and closest relationships, particularly with her companion of 34 years, Stedman Graham, and best friend Gayle King, have long been a subject of intrigue and speculation. Biographers who have attempted to penetrate the mystique have gone away defeated.

This story is from the March 2020 edition of Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the March 2020 edition of Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S WEEKLY NZView All
Cooking for one
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

Cooking for one

Looking for a tasty weeknight dinner? Our quick and easy meat-free curry is full of flavour.

time-read
1 min  |
March 2024
Two-minute exercise
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

Two-minute exercise

No time? Short on energy? Two minutes might be all it takes to change your life.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
New threads
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

New threads

In 1993 Elaine George made history as Australia's first Indigenous cover star. Thirty years later she's back in front of the camera with her daughter, Taylor, to showcase First Nations designers and artists.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
Terms of endearment
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

Terms of endearment

While the phrases our mums once used don't date so well, other life lessons stay the distance.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Sisters of Maya
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

Sisters of Maya

In the Yucatán jungles of Mexico, lives are changing for the better, thanks to a trailblazing farm where women dare to dream.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
Unseen ABBA
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

Unseen ABBA

Swedish foursome ABBA have released a book of joyful photos from their glorious career, including some even they hadn't seen before.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
Inside the BILLIONAIRE BOHEMIAN CLUB
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

Inside the BILLIONAIRE BOHEMIAN CLUB

Welcome to the most secretive club on Earth, where world leaders, movie stars and business tycoons kick up their heels behind locked gates in the bucolic Californian countryside.

time-read
7 mins  |
March 2024
ROBERT IRWAN 'I wish could ask Dad for advice'
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

ROBERT IRWAN 'I wish could ask Dad for advice'

As the son of Steve Irwin, he's spent his entire life in the public domain, continuing to spread his father's message. Now, aged 20, Robert has found love, and is striking out in a new direction.

time-read
8 mins  |
March 2024
LANI D ANIELS Warrior woman
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

LANI D ANIELS Warrior woman

The world champion boxer from a tiny Northland village opens up about the childhood tragedy that led her to drink and drugs, and the sport that saved her life.

time-read
9 mins  |
March 2024
KING CHARLES III Royal lears & missing Mummy
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

KING CHARLES III Royal lears & missing Mummy

In an old-fashioned world of restraint and formality, young King Charles craved his mother's affection and suffered at school, reveals Ingrid Seward in her new biography, My Mother and I.

time-read
10 mins  |
March 2024