Oprah Winfrey’s longtime partner Stedman Graham is loving her through her weight loss journey
In an interview with People magazine published Tuesday, Winfrey recalled how Graham was by her side every step of the way as her health changed.
“He was really supportive of everything,” Winfrey said.
The former talk show host, 71, said she and Graham, 74, met when she weighed 200 pounds.
“And it’s never made any difference,” she exclaimed.
Although Ms. Graham never asked her to lose weight, Ms. Winfrey recalled feeling embarrassed about her body size when she was at her heaviest.
In 1988, she and Graham attended a boxing match between Mike Tyson and Michael Spinks. The announcer revealed that Tyson weighed 218, making Winfrey self-conscious.
“Wow, this handsome guy is sitting with someone who weighs as much as the world heavyweight champion,” she recalled thinking as she sat next to Graham.
In her new book, “Enough is Enough: Your Health, Weight, and What It Means to Be Free,” Winfrey writes that she remembers feeling “sorry” for Stedman in that moment. However, she later realized that the shame she felt was all in her own head.
“He was with me when I was at my heaviest,” she says, admitting that their relationship has grown even stronger since she lost weight with the help of GLP-1 drugs.
“I’ve seen all my relationships improve because the energy and presence and vitality and clarity that I bring to them is so different,” Winfrey said. “I feel like I can give more to everyone.”
Winfrey’s weight has fluctuated throughout her career, but she started looking quite trim in 2023. After months of public speculation about Ozempic, Winfrey admitted in December 2023 that she had turned to weight loss drugs to manage her health.
“I’ve completely stopped shaming others, especially myself,” she told People magazine at the time, adding, “I now use it as a management tool to avoid yo-yoing when I feel like it’s necessary.”
She also praised medical prescriptions, saying that having the option as a tool for living a healthier life “feels like a relief, like a salvation, like a gift, not something to hide behind and be ridiculed again.”
The “Color Purple” actress said in this week’s cover story that the drug also helped her get sober.
“I literally had 17 shots in one night,” she admitted. “I haven’t had a drink in years. It’s amazing that I don’t even have the desire to drink anymore.”
Winfrey, who previously said she “could outdrink everyone at the table,” said she feels like she has changed.
“I hardly know what kind of woman I have become, but she is a happy woman,” Winfrey said.
More importantly, the OWN founder has stopped shaming herself for her weight loss struggles.
“I thought it was a matter of discipline and willpower. But I stopped blaming myself,” Winfrey explained. “I feel more alive and vibrant than ever before.”
