74 |^15 AUGUST^2019 http://www.drum.co.za

THERE’S NOTHING

SHE CAN’T DO!

F

OR more than three decades
he’s been a steady yet largely
silent presence by her side,
cutting a tall, handsome and
supportive figure as the bil-
lionaire entertainment mo-
gul dominates the limelight.
Oprah Winfrey has occa-
sionally opened up about the silver fox
but not much has been forthcoming
from Stedman Graham himself – until
now.
The 68-year-old grandfather, motiva-
tional speaker, author and businessman
has finally aired his views on their 33-
year relationship and the secrettohow
they’ve made their unusualloveaffair
work.
Rumours of a split have
periodically raised their
head over the years but the
pair have never deigned to
address them. They’ve re-
mained rock solid – despite
never making that trip downtheaisle.
During an appearance on Good Morn-
ing Britain, Stedman recently finally
shared his perspective on their romance.
When host Piers Morgan reminded
him that Oprah (65) has said in the past
that they wouldn’t have lasted if they’d

married,Stedmanagreed.

“She’sabsolutelyright,”saidStedman,

who’spromotinghisnewmotivational

book,IdentityLeadership:ToLead

OthersYouMustFirstLeadYourself.

“I travelaround.I’vegot2 millionmiles

ononeairline,andthenshetravelsall

aroundtheworld.It’shardtohave

a marriagebasedonthat.Wetalked

aboutthat.”

Eachrespectstheother’sindepend-

ence,careerandcommitments,he

added.

“We’vebeentogethera longtime.We

loveeachotherandcareabouteachoth-

er.Itworks.I supporther150%.I want

hertobethebestpersonshecouldpos-

siblybeandshe’sdoinga

prettygoodjobofthat.”

Ina 2017interviewwith

Vogue magazine,Oprah

revealed she and Stedman

had discussed marriage

only once.

“Nobodybelieves it, but it’s true. The

only time I brought it up was when I said

to Stedman, ‘What would’ve happened

if we’d actually got married?’ And the an-

swer is ‘We wouldn’t be together’.”

She explains that “marriage requires a

different way of being in this world”.

“His interpretation of what it means to

be a husband and what it would mean

for me to be a wife would’ve been pretty

traditional, and I wouldn’t have been

able to fit into that.”

Yet there was a time when it was a pos-

sibility. Stedman once proposed and the

wedding was meant to happen in 1993

• but Oprah was busy working on a book,
  so they decided to postpone it.
  And that was that.
  “We never discussed it again,” Oprah
  said.
  Not marrying has taught her a valua-
  ble lesson, she added: “to live life on your
  own terms”.

M

AKEnomistake,however

• there’splentyoflove
  between these two, who
  met at a charity event in
  Chicago in 1986.
  Stedman says he’s dedi-
  cated to her happiness and knowing
  she’s in a good place makes him more
  at ease with himself.
  The secret to love, he believes, is self-
  love.
  “Youhavetopeelthelayersofthe
  onion back to where you can find out
  who you are and be happy with your own

‘We love each

otherandcare

abouteach

other. It works’

Stedman and Oprah, one of

the most enduring couples

in showbiz, met at a charity

event in 1986 (ABOVE LEFT)

and got engaged a few years

later (ABOVE RIGHT) – but

didn’t end up tying the knot.

Stedman Graham has

opened up about his

unconventional

long-term love affair

with Oprah Winfrey

COMPILED BY NICI DE WET