According to People magazine, Oprah Winfrey is not only one of the most powerful women in the world, but she also has a fear of balloons!
“A lot of people don’t know this, but I really don’t like balloons,” the TV powerhouse revealed in a video interview for O Magazine. “I don’t like them because it reminds me of gunfire, and perhaps somewhere in my life, or past childhood, I must have had something to do with gunfire. It just really freaks me out being around balloons.”
Well, for her 40th birthday, Oprah was forced to face her fear when the staff at “The Oprah Winfrey Show” surprised her with a barrage of balloons.
“I come downstairs and the entire audience is filled with balloons,” she said. “Literally, I’m stepping over balloons, having to walk through balloons and I’m so, like, ‘Oh! When is one going to pop?’ It was an anxiety-filled day.”
She added, “There were balloons everywhere and everybody was so excited and all I could think is, ‘This is a room full of balloons.’ No way around it. I just had to walk through them.”
But, like all things in life, the incident taught Winfrey an important lesson.
“That became a metaphor for facing all of my fears. No way around it, just walk right through it. Keep turning the page.”
