Oprah Winfrey: Lesser known facts

Oprah’s signed heels auctioned for charity

Oprah Winfrey is known for her charitable work in the field of women’s education. The 61-year-old is in Australia right now and has donated a pair of her designer heels to help raise almost $17,000 for a Melbourne-based charity.
The shoes are understood to have been sold to a private bidder, who placed six offers across the week-long auction, before finally acquiring the pair.
The money raised will go to the Australian charity, aiming to provide education to one million girls across Africa by 2020.

She's bold, beautiful and a TV mogul with a heart of gold! Oprah Winfrey's story is inspiring and at the same time heart-wrenching! This award winning talk show host is known for her philanthropy. But while most of us associate her with The Oprah Winfrey Show, how well do you know her? Read on to find out some lesser known and interesting facts about this American media proprietor, actress and producer.

Did you know that Oprah also ran her first marathon in 1994 (as mentioned on boomsbeat.com). She was also a pro at winning beauty pageants including Miss Fire Prevention in Nashville, and Miss Black Tennessee. She is said to be fond of spirituality and begins her day with a prayer or meditation. Oprah is a huge fan of Snatam Kaur, an American singer and songwriter who performs Indian devotional music, kirtan, and tours the world as a peace activist. She has two Cocker Spaniels (breed of dogs) called Sophie and Solomon. Her favourite food is said to be some spicy chicken from the Chicken Shack in Nashville and mashed potatoes with horseradish.

Oprah was born on January 29, 1954 in Mississippi to an unwed couple and was raised by her grandmother. According to a report on Theguardian.com, her name was actually Orpah after the biblical figure in the book of Ruth, but it was misspelt as Oprah on her birth certificate. She was raped at a tender age and became a mother at the age of 14. She was sent to a juvenile detention home at 13. Further to reports on theguardian.com, Oprah moved to Chicago to host WLS-TV's morning talk show, AM which was later renamed as The Oprah Winfrey Show. It went on to receive 34 Emmys, seven of which were for the host. O and Deepak Oprah are her two nicknames, according to a report on aceshowbiz.com.

According to forbes.com, Oprah remains the only black female billionaire in the world and her estimated real time net worth is $3 billion as of December 2014. She also becomes the first woman in history to own and produce her own talk show. Oprah also made it to the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca, New York. Her popularity knows no ends and her influence is known the world over. In fact, she was hugely responsible for the Oprah Bill (19902) that was signed by then President Bill Clinton which aimed at preventing child abuse. As per a report on imdb.com, her idol is Diana Ross and her influential friends include Maria Shriver, formerly married to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Her romantic partner of many years is Stedman Graham.

Oprah is said to have kept a journal recording her everyday life since the age of 15. She created history of sorts when she became the first African-American woman to own a cable network called OWN, that stands for Oprah Winfrey Network. She was influential through her support to Barack Obama who went on to become the first black US president. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 by President Barack Obama. As per a report on aceshowbiz.com, Oprah was chosen as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world by People magazine in 1997. She also received an honorary National Book Award for her influential contribution to reading and books in October 1999.

As per a report on abcnews.go.com, she is responsible for launching Dr. Oz's TV career among many other people. She is said to have had a feud with American television host, comedian, writer, producer and actor David Letterman in the 1990s, but the two are said to have made peace. Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue told her to lose weight for the cover of Vogue, making her the first African-American star to be on it. She appeared on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and interviewed the whole family. Reportedly, rapper 50 Cent named his dog after her and his cat after her best friend, Gayle. She received an honorary Oscar in 2011 for her philanthropic efforts.

She made it to the no.1 spot on Forbes magazine's annual list of 100 most powerful celebrities in June 2007 and again in June 2008. Further to reports on aceshowbiz.com, she opened her second school for poor South African youth called the Seven Fountains Primary School in 2007. Due to her increasing influence and popularity, The Wall Street Journal coined the term "Oprahfication", meaning public confession as a form of therapy. She even experimented with drugs including cocaine.

According to a report on boomsbeat.com, Oprah lives on The Promised Land, her 42-acre estate with ocean and mountain views, in Montecito, California. Her ability to influence public opinion, especially consumer purchasing choices, has been dubbed "The Oprah Effect." According to talkshowsabout.com, her Oprah's Book Club has spurred more than 30 million in book sales for more than 60 books on her coveted list. Oprah hasn't won an Emmy since 1998 as she withdrew her eligibility after winning the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. Winfrey's best friend since their early twenties is Gayle King.

Oprah's Harpo company actually is Oprah spelt backwards which co-incidentally was the character she married in the film The Color Purple, an adaptation of Alice Walker's novel. She was very good friends with American author, poet, dancer, actress and singer Maya Angelou whom she called the rainbow in her clouds, as per her interview to variety.com. Some of her favourite quotes (as mentioned on imdb.com) include, "My idea of heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with." "Lots of people want to ride with you in the Limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the Limo breaks down." "All my life I have always known I was born to greatness."