Oprah Winfrey admits she’s never been to therapy

‘It’s not one thing, it’s everything,’ Winfrey says of her wellness and fitness routine

Oprah Winfrey has spoken candidly about how she’s dealt with her mental health.

The 69-year-old talk show appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show on 12 December, where she discussed her decision to opt out of outsourced care. “I had all my therapy on the show in front of everybody,” she told the Charlie’s Angels star. “And you know, when I first started in 1986 with the national show, nobody was going to therapy. Even speaking about therapy on television was taboo, and now everybody has gone to therapy.”

“So I did my therapy in front of everyone at a time when people were still adjusting their consciousness to the idea of accepting somebody else being able to counsel you about your life,” she continued.

But after 25 seasons and countless segments encouraging and advocating for individuals to seek necessary help to improve their well-being, the celebrity hasn’t ever attended one therapy session for herself. However, her strength and self-resilience has continued to inspire others throughout the years. In fact, Barrymore confessed Winfrey had motivated her when she was in her adolescence, specifically when she was 14 years old.

The 48-year-old actress admitted: “I’m happy to tell you now that I don’t think and feel any of those things about myself. I feel like I’m learning more here not playing a character but being myself.”

“And you made that okay for everyone. I think part of why self-work is a national discussion sprangboard from you,” Barrymore added.

On 6 December, Winfrey also talked about the physical work she’s done for her wellbeing. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight on the carpet for the premiere of The Color Purple in Los Angeles, the producer discussed her regular wellness regimen in tandem with her recent weight loss.

“It’s not one thing, it’s everything,” she told the outlet. “I was on that treadmill today.”

Of her previous fitness routine, Winfrey divulged details to The Hollywood Reporter in 2017. Between strict time intervals on certain machines and a timed cool down period, Winfrey remained consistent in her gym activity.

In the interview, she said: “I have a fantastic Octane elliptical machine that is like a power mover - you can increase the length of your stride and your arm movement.”

“I’ll do 20 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes walking on the treadmill. I start out at the Level 3 incline setting and then every minute I add to the incline until I get to 12 or 15. And then I do sit-ups,” Winfrey went on to say.

While Winfrey’s dedicated a chunk of her daily routine to exercise, she’s not fully fallen in love with the whole fitness scene. “Here’s the thing about exercise: I still hate it so much,” she confessed to Today in 2020. “I still do it. I think everyone’s waiting to love it. You’re not going to love it, but you do the thing you need to do to make yourself feel whole and well.”