Dr. Phil has thanked Oprah Winfrey for “changing his life.”
The 71 year-old psychologist-turned-TV star – whose real name is Phillip McGraw – met the legendary talk show host when she hired his legal consulting firm CSI to prepare her for the Amarillo Texas beef trial back in 1995 and she was so impressed with Phil as an individual that she convinced him to appear on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ as a relationship expert before helping him create his own show back in 2002.
Phil – full name Phil McGraw – said: “Oprah and I met in the late ’90s when she was in trial, and I was on the trial team, then I started doing the show, and started doing the show a lot, and then we launched the show, and it really changed my life a lot.”
Dr. Phil – who has been married to Robin McGraw since 1976 and has sons Jay, 42, and Jordan, 35, with her – went on to reveal that while he has enjoyed a “great life” both before and after finding television fame, he has insisted on thanking Oprah, 68, every single year for the positive “impact” she has had on his family.
Speaking on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’, he added: “I had a great life when I met her, and I’ve got a great life now, but she changed a lot of things! It’s just been really important to me, every year to stop, sit down and write her a letter, and say, ‘Thank you for the impact you’ve had on me and my family.’ And I’ve done it every year for 25 or 26 years.”
However, Dr. Phil went on to explain that the first time he sent a personal thank-you to Oprah, she was taken aback because no-one had ever expressed their gratitude towards her despite her efforts over her time in the business until then.
He added: “She told me something one time – the first time I launched a book on her show, I sent her a huge flower arrangement and a thank you note and stuff. I think she had been on the air 17 years at that point, and called me and said, ‘You know, out of all the things that I’ve done, all the books and stuff, this is the first time anybody has ever said thank you.’
“And now I’ve had my show for 20 years, I understand what she means.”