The famous American media, Oprah Winfrey, revealed more details about a miserable childhood she spent between a reckless mother and a violent grandmother.
Winfrey, 67, spoke about the trauma she experienced during her growing up, in her new book “What Happened to You ?: Conversations About Trauma, Resilience and Healing”, according to the British newspaper, “Daily Mail”.
The famous media also shared some of her horrific experiences as a little girl on Instagram this week.
Winfrey said she “hardly ever felt in love” while growing up and described her mother, Vernetta Lee, as “cold” and “distant”.
She explained that she spent the first six years of her life in rural Mississippi with her grandmother, who used to abuse and beat her for the most trivial reasons before moving to live with her mother, who used to let her sleep on the balcony of the house where she lived.
The popular talk show host said, “The long-term effect of persecution – and then my forced silence and smile about it – made me someone just trying to make people happy … I wouldn’t have taken half a lifetime to learn how to set boundaries and say (no) confidently if I had been cared for differently.” .
When Oprah went to live with her mother at the age of six, she did not feel welcome. “The night I arrived in Milwaukee, the woman who lived with my mother in the apartment said that I might have to sleep on the balcony, outside the house,” she said.
The famous media recalls that her mother did not do anything about it, but rather did not object, “While I was watching my mother close the door of the house to go to bed, as she thought I would sleep, I was terrified because of the loneliness and started crying.”
She added, “I imagined a thief snatching me from the balcony or strangling me. On that first night I asked God to send angels to protect me … and he did. This was my first lesson, as I realized that others (even your mother) might disappoint you, but God no.” do that”.
Days earlier, Oprah Winfrey revealed that she was raped and abused by family friends while she was living with her mother and gave birth to a baby who died a week later.