Oprah Winfrey reveals she had double knee surgery

Oprah Winfrey has revealed that she underwent double knee surgery procedures in 2021.

The 68-year-old OWN mogul opened up about the procedures during a “The Life You Want” Class on gratitude on Oct. 11.

"I had double knee surgery last year. I had knee surgery in August, and then I had another knee surgery in November," said Winfrey.

The recovery from the first procedure was so painful that Winfrey found it difficult to move. "When I came home the first time, I literally could not lift my leg. I couldn’t lift my heel off of the bed, and I vowed if I was ever able to get up, walk around, and move again— that I would take advantage of movement, exercise, and of being able to be fully in my body," she said.

The legendary TV personality was thrilled when she was gradually able to get up on her feet again. "As I was rehabilitating, I started hiking. Everyday, I tried to hike more and do more," she said.

"My appreciation for every organ and every limb has expanded exponentially," she added.

Just last month, Joseph Zambrano, director of brand strategy for Oprah Daily, posted a hilarious TikTok video detailing how Winfrey tricked him and friends Gayle King and Ava DuVernay into joining her on a very long hike.

"What is the term for being catfished, but on an event?” Zambrano asks in the video while on the hike. “You know, I think people should be honest when they say, ‘Let’s go on a hike.’ She said it was five to seven minutes. It’s been five to seven miles.”

Zambrano jokes, “Gayle’s on this ride. You can’t see her, but she’s over there in South Africa. That’s how far we’ve walked.”

When Winfrey shows up alongside him on the hike, Zambrano addresses the media icon's fib. “I thought you said five to seven minutes.”

“It was five to seven minutes up this hill,” Winfrey responds, smiling.

While Winfrey hasn't revealed how her knees came to require surgery, she has injured one of her legs in the past. In 2020, Shape reported that Winfrey slipped and fell while onstage at the Los Angeles stop of her "Oprah 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus" Tour.

Days after the accident, Winfrey posted a photo of herself on Instagram that showed her icing her injured leg in a compression wrap at home.

"Sunday Reading and icing," she wrote in her caption. "Thank you all for your kind wishes. Yes I slipped on stage and I’m now a meme. But so grateful to be only a little sore. Turning the day into what @michelleobama calls #selfcareSunday."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com