Tyler Perry: 'Oprah changed my life'

Tyler Perry has revealed that Oprah Winfrey was one of his inspirations.

The filmmaker, who executive produced the new movie Precious with the talkshow host, has said that after watching an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1991 his life changed forever. In the show, Winfrey spoke about how the process of writing one's experiences could be cathartic.

Perry told People: "After I found a dictionary and looked up 'cathartic', I realised what she was saying, so I started writing."

Precious, which won the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival, arrives in US cinemas on November 6 and at the London Film Festival this month.