PREVIEW

Oprah Winfrey 'starved herself' over body shaming. The media mogul has admitted that she went to unhealthy lengths to lose weight after years of criticism over her appearance. During her new ABC special, An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution, Oprah, 70, reflected on the criticism. ”In an effort to combat all the shame, I starved myself for nearly five months, and then, wheeled out that wagon of fat that the internet will never let me forget.” She was referring to a 1988 episode of her talk show in which she rolled out a barrel of fat to show how much she had lost. ”And after losing 67 pounds on a liquid diet, the next day, y'all, the very next day, I started to gain it back. Feeling the shame of fighting a losing battle with weight, is a story all too familiar.” Oprah said "making fun of my weight was national sport" and that she would "never forget" some of the headlines about her size. ”I remember thinking, at first, 'Oh, look! There I am on the cover.' And then, I read the headline, that Mr. Blackwell - the tastemaker of the time - called me 'Bumpy, lumpy, and downright dumpy.” "I was ridiculed on every late night talk show for 25 years and tabloid covers for 25 years.” Oprah's comments come weeks after she announced she was stepping down from the board of WeightWatchers after nine years. She later revealed that she left the company to avoid any conflict of interest allegations relating to her TV special. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT