London:
Many a family secrets have been unravelled on her superhit talk show, but a biographer claims to have unearthed the well-guarded truths about the life of media mogul Oprah Winfrey.
From revelations by a relative that the billionaire concocted stories about sexual abuse and poverty, to the identity of her biological father, Winfrey's unauthorized biographer Kitty Kelley claims to have got it all.
The talk show queen, who was born out of wedlock to a teenage mother, has never known her father but Kelley claims to have traced down the man, reported Daily Mail online.
In news that will be unpleasant for Winfrey to accept, the American biographer says that Winfrey's cousin Katharine Carr Esters, who is known to the billionaire as 'Aunt Katharine' confided the name of her father.
But Esters, 81, refused to give permission for Kelley to publish his name in her book, saying Winfrey needs to find out the truth from her mother Vernita Lee.
"You'll know when that happens because Oprah will probably have a show on Finding Your Real Father. As I said, the girl wastes nothing," Esters is quoted as saying in the book titled 'Oprah: A Biography by Kitty Kelley'.
In the book, Esters also accuses Winfrey of embellishing her impoverished upbringing, to gain audience sympathy and TRP's. Despite the TV host's recollections of wearing potato sacks as dresses and keeping cockroaches as pets, Esters disputes times were that hard.
"Where Oprah got that nonsense about growing up in filth and roaches I have no idea. I've confronted her and asked, 'Why do you tell such lies?' Oprah told me, 'That's what people want to hear. The truth is boring'," Esters is quoted as saying.
At 13, Oprah ran away from her mother's home and went to live with her stepfather after becoming pregnant at 14. Her son tragically died soon after birth.
The man Oprah does call 'dad' is former city councilman Vernon Winfrey, whose attempt to write his own book on his stepdaughter was blocked by the talk show queen three years ago.
He also backs the claims made by Esters saying that he is disappointed with Oprah's description of her upbringing.
"She may be admired by the world, but I know the truth. So does god and so does Oprah. Two of us remain ashamed," he said.