Oprah Winfrey reveals the celebrity who was ‘one of the reasons’ she chose not to have children

Oprah Winfrey has opened up about her decision not to have children, citing a well-known media personality as influencing her choice.

Winfrey, 71, shared her thoughts in the new documentary Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything, available in Australia on Disney+ from June 23.

She said it was the late Barbara Walters’ relationship with her daughter Jacqueline Dena Guber that firmed her belief motherhood wasn’t for her.

READ MORE: David Beckham sends a clear message to son Brooklyn with candid post

“I remember her telling me once, ‘There’s nothing more fulfilling than having children, and you should really think about it,'” Winfrey said in the documentary, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on Thursday.

“And I was like, ‘OK, but I’m looking at you, so, no,'” she continued, describing Walters’ relationship with her adopted daughter as “charged” and “complex” as reported by Page Six.

READ MORE: King’s heartfelt message for Father’s Day amid estrangement from Harry

“And I can see why,” Winfrey said. “It’s one of the reasons why I never had children.”

The documentary chronicles Walters’ career and relationship with her daughter, whom she adopted with her ex-husband Lee Guber in 1968.

Walters, 93, admitted her dedication to her media career which made motherhood challenging left her feeling “guilty”.

“I didn’t realise how tough it was, because she had a mother who was a celebrity,” Walters added.

She described her daughter’s struggles at school before running away at the age of 16.

Walters went into detail about her difficult relationship with her daughter in her memoir Audition, released in 2008.

Walters dedicated the book “to my amazing daughter, Jacqueline Walters Danforth” along with her sister Jacqueline Walters “both of whom changed my life”.

She wrote: “I love my daughter more than I love anyone in the world, always have, but when she reached adolescence our life together became extremely difficult.”

Walters explained she was sharing their hardships with her daughter’s permission because Jacqueline thought it was “important for people to understand what she went through” in the hope it “helps others”.

Walters spoke of the pressures of her career conflicting with their relationship with her daughter as well as her divorce from Guber.

“Our relationship was coming apart. Some days she all but refused to talk to me,” Walters said, adding that she knew they were in “desperate trouble”.

Upon her death, mother and daughter had reportedly found peace.

Oprah Winfrey was often questioned about her choice not to be a mother throughout her career.

She has been in a relationship with Stedman Graham for over 37 years. They made plans to marry but ultimately called it off, preferring to remain partners.

For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

Harry and Meghan’s bombshell Oprah interview in photos

“At one point in Chicago, I had bought an additional apartment because I was thinking, ‘Well, if we get married, I’m going to need room for children,'” Winfrey told People in 2019.

She said it was through her work as a TV host that she realised the “depth of responsibility and sacrifice that is actually required to be a mother”.

READ MORE: A-Z guide to the best EOFY deals you need to be across

“I realised, ‘Whoa, I’m talking to a lot of messed-up people, and they are messed up because they had mothers and fathers who were not aware of how serious that job is,'” she said.

“I don’t have the ability to compartmentalise the way I see other women do.”

“It is why, throughout my years, I have had the highest regard for women who choose to be at home [with] their kids, because I don’t know how you do that all day long. Nobody gives women the credit they deserve,” Winfrey added.

Upon Walters’ death, Winfrey told People: “Without Barbara Walters there wouldn’t have been me – nor any other woman you see on evening, morning, and daily news,” she said.

“She was indeed a Trailblazer. I did my very first television audition with her in mind the whole time,” Winfrey added.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.