Though her talk show ended two years ago, Oprah Winfrey is finally opening up — about Stedman Graham, that is.
The 59-year-old
host/ actress/ mogul, famous for her ability to get people to share their
personal stories on national television, has been notoriously silent about her
relationship with her longtime fiancé even as she faced gay rumors with
her best friend, Gayle King. But now, after experiencing self-doubt and nearly
suffering a breakdown because of OWN's bumpy launch, it seems Ms. Winfrey has
had a change of heart.
In an interview
with People, Oprah recalls a painful moment when she flew from her New Orleans
movie set (where she was filming "Lee Daniels' The Butler") to
interview Kony 2012 founder, Jason Russell.
"Jason was
talking about having a nervous breakdown, and I was thinking, 'I have those
symptoms,'" she reveals, adding that it was a few days later during a
voice-over recording session that she reached her breaking point. "I
remember closing my eyes while I was reading. I thought, 'I cannot have another
thing enter my brain.' I needed to pull back."
That may be easier said than done for
someone running a network, returning to the big screen after a 15-year hiatus,
and doing roughly 1 million other things all at the same time. Enter her fiancé
of 21 years, Stedman Graham.
"He was
amazing," Oprah shares. "He said, 'You can't even think about
quitting.'" And while he encouraged her, he didn't sugarcoat the
challenges she faced. Oprah remembers Stedman's advice verbatim: "You have
been in cruise control," he told his longtime love. "It's gonna turn
around, but you've gotta do the work."
Apparently,
Stedman has always been the determined type. Describing their first date 30
years ago, Oprah seems struck by his perseverance. "We went
waterskiing," she explains. "Stedman tried 28 times [to get up] and
wouldn't give up. I thought, 'What is wrong with him? Good lord, this is
exhausting!' He would not quit."
That can-do attitude might have seemed
crazy to Oprah at that first outing, but it has served the pair well over the
long haul. After all, it's not always easy to be with one of the most powerful
women on the planet. "I've seen people crawl over him, push him
aside," she laments before adding, "He's learned how to navigate
that. That takes a confident man. That embodies who he is."
Even when they're
apart, Oprah reveals she keeps him close. "I have an iPad filled with
things he says. He is the most positive person ever." She goes on to
praise him as an "extraordinary man," admitting that her only
complaint is that she can't seem to get him to sleep in.
"We're like
an old married couple," she muses. And we suppose she's right ... except
they're not actually married. Well, and she happens to be Oprah.