Whitney Houston's Come-Through Moment

Whitney Houston on Divorce

It's been seven years since the world heard music icon Whitney Houston's voice. Now, she's back—and talking only to Oprah about the private struggles she tried to hide from public view. In Part 1 of their interview, Whitney opened up about her marriage to R&B star Bobby Brown, her drug abuse and why she retreated from the spotlight. Here, in the conclusion of their interview, Whitney opens up about the day she left Bobby Brown, the death of Michael Jackson and her new album.

Whitney: I just knew I had to get to the point where I had to make a choice [about my marriage]. I just remember praying, "If you give me one day of strength, I will go out that door and I will not look back." And that one day came. And I left. I remember I said, "I'm going out for some sugar and some milk and I'll be back."

Oprah: Did you know that was the day?

Whitney: I knew it. I never came back. And I went to L.A. … The furniture started leaving, I started selling the house, put the house on the market, cars, everything. I just got rid of everything.

Oprah: After or before then?

Whitney: After. After I left, and I was at a friend's house. He would not come and bother me if I was at a certain person's house, a friend of mine's, he would not come there. Because she was like: "If you come over here, I'm just going to shoot you. Just don't bother her. Leave her alone. She's got to make some choices in her life."

…

Oprah: So about what year was this?

Whitney: Around 2006. I just got on a plane. I had two pairs of pants, some sneakers, probably a couple pairs of underwear, put it in my little doggie bag, a friend of mine got on the plane with me.

Related Resources
  • Whitney Houston's new album I Look to You is available in stores, on Amazon.com and on iTunes.

From The Oprah Winfrey Show Season Premiere Part 2: Whitney Houston's Showstopping Surprise