Oprah Winfrey told Piers Morgan on Wednesday that she spends “more time alone than anybody would even imagine,” but don’t mistake that admission for a sign of loneliness.
The television personality, network CEO and actress appeared on CNN to discuss her “Just Say Hello” initiative, which hopes to help people combat loneliness — an emotion she’s never felt, despite previously telling Morgan she has “probably less than five” friends.
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“Have you had periods of real genuine loneliness in your life, do you think?” Morgan asked Oprah in an interview (above) over a satellite feed.
“Absolutely not,” Oprah said. “I am really happy being with myself.”
“I really get recharged from being alone,” she continued. “Steadman is on the road a lot, so I spend a lot of time with myself and the dogs, and I really enjoy that. I never feel like, ‘Oh gee, I don’t have anybody to do anything with.’ I spend more time alone than anybody would even imagine.”
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Oprah agreed that part of her preference for being alone comes from a career spent in the public eye, but says she “made peace” with herself at an early age since she was her “grandmother’s only grandchild.” There is, however, one stipulation.
“Now, I’m content being alone, but if you put me alone, and there were no books around and there was no way to have any kind of engagement with the outside world through books, that would be a a very sad situation.”