And for the first time ever, she's confessing in private what she'll never admit in public - she'd rather live with the woman who is her soul mate than a man she'll never marry.
"Oprah is telling friends, 'I'm tired of living a lie!'" a close source divulged.
"After all these years she's decided that keeping up the pretense that she and Stedman are romantically involved and will one day marry is a fantasy. It will not happen - ever.
"Stedman was a close friend and a great companion for years. But Oprah now admits the relationship was never really going anywhere. Neither of them seriously considered marriage, having children or spending the rest of their lives together.
"That was never in the cards for them, and Oprah has finally gotten around to acknowledging it."
With Stedman gone, 56-year-old Oprahwill focus on nurturing her relationship with Gayle, 55, say those close to her.
"Gayle and Oprah plan to spend the rest of their lives with each other," an insider told The ENQUIRER. Full story