Oprah Winfrey shares why she was motivated to host weight loss special

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — Oprah Winfrey is hosting a television special on Monday about a topic that’s personal to her.

“An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution” is billed as “a sit-down conversation around the radical impact of prescription weight loss medications.”

Winfrey will moderate the conversation in front of a live audience with medical experts to explore “prevailing questions and concerns surrounding the impact on our health care, economy, lifestyle and culture,” according to a press release for the event.

“It is a very personal topic for me and for the hundreds of millions of people impacted around the globe who have for years struggled with weight and obesity,” Winfrey said in a statement.

This comes after the media mogul recently exited the board of Weight Watchers.

“I decided that because this special was really important to me and I wanted to be able to talk about whatever I want to talk about and Weight Watchers is now in the business of being a weight health company that also administers drug medications for weight,” Winfrey explained during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last week. “I did not want to have the appearance of any conflict of interest and so, I resigned from the board and I donated all of my shares to the National Museum of African American History… so nobody can say, ‘Oh, she’s doing that special, she’s making money and promoting’… No, you cannot say that.”

Winfrey has gone public with the fact that weight loss medication is among the tools she is using to help her in her well-documented efforts against obesity.

“They’ve had these medications for the past 20 years. I didn’t know that,” Winfrey told “Entertainment Tonight” about the special. “They’ve been having this medication for 20 years and we’re just now hearing about it.”

Sporting a more svelte appearance these days, Winfrey said she hopes the special will empower viewers to make informed decisions about their health.

“I’m really excited about it,” Winfrey said. “Because I’ve suffered for so long and struggled so much and did all the things.”

“An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution” airs March 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and will be available for streaming the following day.

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