The New Nation - Internet Edition

BBC Online

A tearful Oprah Winfrey has announced her talk show will end in September 2011 after 25 years on the air.

Speaking to her live studio audience, the chat show queen said she had decided to end the show "after much prayer and months of careful thought".

"I love this show, and I love it enough to know when it's time to say goodbye," the 55-year-old said.

Winfrey's show, currently syndicated in 145 countries, has transformed the star into a cultural phenomenon.

"Twenty-five years feels right in my bones, and it feels right in my spirit - it's the perfect number, the exact right time," she said.

Winfrey also promised she would be working with her production team to find new ways to entertain, inform and uplift her audience for her remaining shows.

The Oprah Winfrey Show's open atmosphere and frank conversation redefined the talk show genre and made Winfrey one of the most influential women in the US as well as the wealthiest black woman in the world.

Her reputation was clearly appreciated by the big-name stars who opened their souls on her show, from Michael Jackson to Tom Cruise - who famously jumped on the sofa to announce his love for his future wife Katie Holmes.

The introduction of Oprah's Book Club helped authors whose novels were selected become bestsellers overnight, and Winfrey's support for US President Barack Obama was seen as crucial to his presidential election campaign.