Oprah sought 'space to be truthful' in Armstrong interview
Oprah Winfrey has interviewed countless famous figures over the years from U.S. President Barack Obama to Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel but she admitted to taking a moment to collect herself before her most recent high-profile chat: the interview with Lance Armstrong.
"I prayed before doing that interview," the talk show guru told CBC's George Stroumboulopoulos during one of her recent speaking engagements in Western Canada.
During their discussion, Winfrey shared thoughts on a variety of topics with Stroumboulopoulos. (George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight)"I sat in silence before going upstairs to do the interview and my prayer was that the presence in me would find a way to reach the presence in him that I would create an open field," she said.
"I said at the beginning of the interview, 'it's an open field, I can ask anything I want.' I wanted to create an open field so he would have the space to be truthful, if that's what he chose to do, and that I would have no judgment of it."
Stroumboulopoulos conducted onstage int! erviews with Winfrey during each of her sold-out tour stops last week in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver and filmed an exclusive chat with the broadcasting icon for his show.
During their discussion, Winfrey shared her thoughts on a variety of topics, from her interview with the disgraced cycling star to our society's tendency to tear down celebrities to celebrating her 59th birthday on Tuesday.
The interview with Winfrey airs Wednesday at 7p.m. (7:30 p.m. NT) and 11 p.m. (11:30 p.m. NT) on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight.