One of the most powerful women in the world appeared before a full house at Rexall Place on Monday night, the first stop on her tour through western Canada.
Television personality and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey offered advice and inspirational messages of empowerment to a crowd of about 15,000 people during her show 'An Evening with Oprah Winfrey.'
Winfrey discussed Lance Armstrong, saying he has the opportunity to be a real hero again.
She adds that people will be able to forgive the cyclist, who confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs to win his seven Tour de France titles in an exclusive interview with Winfrey last week.
Winfrey says we are a society that wants to forgive and, if Armstrong does the work to become a good human being, he can rise again.
"If he is willing to do the work ... he can be a real hero," Winfrey said.
"Everybody has the ability within them to rise again. What really matters in the world is what kind of human being he chooses to be."
The show was Rexall Place's biggest grossing single-day event in history.
Organizers said it was Winfrey's first big arena show.
Winfrey gained world-wide fame for her nationally syndicated show, which lasted 25 years. She said it was the best job in the world and the show's legions of fans were like family.
"I have a bunch of children in Edmonton that I have raised," she told the crowd. "Now you have children and I'm raising your children."
Winfrey will speak in Calgary on Tuesday night and Vancouver on Thursday.
With files from The Canadian Press
