Oprah Winfrey opens up about embracing her knee surgery scars: ‘I’m proud of what they represent’

Oprah Winfrey, who had double knee replacement surgery in 2021, opens up about hiding her surgery scars for the past four years.

After four years of hiding them, Oprah Winfrey is finally embracing her surgery scars. 

In a recent letter to her “Oprah Daily” insider members, the 71-year-old media mogul opened up about how, for the first time since she got double knee replacement surgery in 2021, she was opting to show her knees. 

“Thanks to that surgery, I’m active, healthy, and able to fully inhabit my body without pain or limitations,” wrote the executive producer of “The Color Purple. “And yet I have felt self-conscious about the scars on my knees. For four years now, I’ve covered them up so no one would see them.”

She added, “For four years now, I’ve covered them up so no one would see them.”

During a recent taping of the video companion to her podcast, the former television host explained she was moved to stop hiding the scars. She had picked out an outfit to wear for the taping by Max Mara that was a skirt set. However, when she sat down, the skirt slightly rose above her knees, revealing her scars. She contemplated changing into a pair of pants until she said she thought, “Why not?”

“I loved the outfit. And more importantly, I love my knees, and the new lease on life they’ve given me as I stride into my 70s,” she continued. “I have no reason to hide them. I’m proud of what they represent.” 

In October 2022, Winfrey first revealed she had gone under the knife twice the year before, in August and in November, for knee replacement surgeries. In her letter to her Insiders, she described the initial recovery as “brutal.” 

“When I got home, I couldn’t even lift my leg, or get my heel off the bed,” she recalled. “I vowed that when I was able to move again, I would take full advantage of movement and exercise.” 

As she healed, the media personality said she started hiking daily. At first, she would walk for about five minutes before gradually increasing her distance each time, until, after a year, she was able to walk 10 miles up a mountain.

“With each step, my appreciation for every organ and limb in my body grew exponentially,” she said.

Considering her grueling recovery, all that she had been through, and what her scars represent for her, Winfrey said she confidently “wore the outfit” that day.

“Everyone in the studio that day got a glimpse of my scars,” she said. “And you know what? It felt good to bring them to light.”