Oprah Winfrey cried for three days following the leaking of a story that she gave birth at the age of 14.

The relative, although not named in the February issue of O magazine, is said to be Oprah�s half sister Patricia Lloyd.

Oprah said: "She sat in a room, told them the story of my hidden shame and left their offices $19,000 richer.

"I took to my bed and cried for three days. I felt devastated, wounded, betrayed. How could this person do this to me?"

Oprah went on to add that the secret had proved to be, �much less shameful than she imagined�.

She also stated: "Only my family and closest friends knew. I would tell no one until I felt safe enough to share my dark past - the years I was sexually abused, from age 10 to 14, my resulting promiscuity as a teenager, and finally, at 14, my becoming pregnant.