OPRAH’S MARRYING STEDMAN
The devoted couple will say‘ I do’ after 32 years
She’s yet to make an announcement about running for president, but there is one title Oprah Winfrey has decided she definitely wants – wife!
As calls for her to stand for the White House heat up, Woman’s Day has learnt that the talk-show queen and her longtime partner Stedman Graham have finally made the decision that the time has come for them to make their three-decade relationship official.
We’re told Oprah, 63, and her businessman beau, 66, plan to marry in June, a move that could be seen as yet another pre-launch to her
presidential campaign, much like her highly political speech at the Golden Globes.
“They have talked about getting married in the past, but it never quite happened,” discloses a friend of the couple, speaking exclusively to us. “This time, they seem to really mean it. Oprah has even started looking for a wedding dress! You have to wonder if it’s all because she is serious about wanting to be president. Certainly, her chances in the more conservative states will improve if she’s married.”
Oprah and Stedman got engaged back in 1992, but plans to wed fizzled out. Last year, the TV mogul
claimed their failure to tie the knot was the secret to their long-lasting relationship, saying, “Marriage requires a different way of being in this world. His interpretation of what it means to be a husband would have been pretty traditional and I would not have been able to fit into that.”
Finally a bride
However, Oprah’s friend insists that she has since changed her mind. “All this time, Stedman has kept re-proposing to Oprah and she has continued to put her career first, but now it’s different,” spills the pal. “Neither of them are getting
any younger and she just felt it was about time.”
The ceremony is likely to take place at Oprah’s $120 million mansion in Montecito, California, which was miraculously spared in the deadly mudslide that destroyed the homes of many of her neighbours earlier this month.
“Oprah hopes her wedding will help the healing process and put the smile back on the community’s faces,” her friend tells, adding that the guest list is likely to include a who’s who of Hollywood, including Reese Witherspoon, Beyoncé, Halle Berry, Will Smith, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep and the Obamas.