Oprah Winfrey.Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images
Oprah Winfreyprefers to keep her inner circle small.
During an appearance on theMaking Space with Hoda Kotbpodcast Monday, Winfrey, 67, and longtime palMaria Shriveropened up about their 42 years of friendship. According to Winfrey, was a “spiritual connection” between them from the moment they met.
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Winfrey admitted that she doesn’t have many close friendships outside of Shriver.
“I don’t have a lot of friends,” the former talk show host said. “Everybody knowsGayle [King]. There’s Gayle, there’s Maria, there’s Bob [Greene]. And that’s about it, you know? Gayle and Maria, I met around the same time; Gayle and I [have been friends for] 42 years, Maria and I [have also been friends for] 42 years.”
“I never really expanded that circle until recently,” she continued. “You know, I had become friends with a couple of people in my later adult life in the past five years.”
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Shriver, 65, described her bond with Winfrey as, “deep, simple, low-maintenance, trustful, loyal, constant, consistent, honest, tried and true.”
For Shriver, Winfrey’s simple gestures for her over the years — including bringing her cups of coffee — have helped to strengthen their friendship.
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“It was so moving to me because … that’s not how I grew up, you know? Nobody brought a cup of coffee or a cup of water to me,” Shriver said. “In a funny way, even though I had a very close relationship with my mother, I wasn’t nurtured, mothered in that way, right? And [Oprah] wasn’t mothered in her own way. But I think, in a way, we have mothered each other.”
In the past, Greene, a personal trainer, has helped Winfrey in her wellness journey and hasmade appearanceson her former talk show.
“Bob Greene was the answer to my prayers,” Winfreywrotein the foreword of Greene’s 2008 book,The Best Life Diet. “When I first met Bob at that last-ditch-effort spa in Colorado, I thought for sure he was judging and labeling me as I had already judged and labeled myself — fat and out of control. Bob, it turned out, wasn’t judging me at all. He really understood.”
Winfrey added that “working with Bob has been priceless therapy.”
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Winfrey’s friendship with King, 66, is no secret. In July, Winfrey opened up about the key to their long-lasting bond.
“Surround yourself with someone who is as happy for your happiness as you are for your happiness,” Winfrey said in anOprah Dailyvideo. “You need friends that are happy in their own lives so that they can actually be authentically happy for you.”
New episodes ofMaking Space with Hoda Kotbare released on Mondays.
source: people.com
