Stedman at Larry King Live

LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, he is the man Oprah hasn't married, calls her "life partner." He says he used to find being known as Oprah's boyfriend crippling, but now rates himself fortunate to have her on his arm. Stedman Graham, businessman, best-selling author, for the hour, next on LARRY KING LIVE.

Our special guest tonight, always great to see him, is Stedman Graham. His new book is "Build Your Own Life Brand." He is also the author of "The New York Times" best sellers "You Can Make It Happen," and "Teens Can Make It Happen." He got famous through an association with Oprah Winfrey even though his company is quite successful.

Your company is basically what?

STEDMAN GRAHAM: We are a marketing company. Also, I focus on education. I kind of developed my whole life around -- built my life around education. I've dedicated my whole life to teaching people the process of success and how to apply that process to the American free enterprise system and publishing is one of the things we do.

KING: Speaking?

GRAHAM: Speaking, product development, software development, and build around the content that I developed in my books. Seminars, those kinds of things.

KING: And we will talk a lot about that. Do you feel funny that when people know your name, they know it through someone else?

GRAHAM: Well, it is what it is. And, I probably wouldn't be here if I hadn't had the association with Oprah. I think that having her be who she is, but that is really not the message and that is not that important to me. What's important to me is being able to find freedom within that context, and discover who I am as a person because I would have never discovered it unless I would have had a relationship with her.

KING: Really? She opened it for you?

GRAHAM: Oh, yes. Absolutely.

KING: What were you doing when you met?

GRAHAM: Well, I was just doing what everybody else does, working.

KING: As?

GRAHAM: As -- I worked in the prison system for a number of years. I worked with a public relations firm for a number of years and I was with a public relations firm when I was with her.

KING: How did you meet?

GRAHAM: We met at a charity. And Chicago being a small place, you know, small circles, you understand how that works, we met there. And we knew each other two years before actually we started dating. So, I kind of can of ran in that circle.

KING: So, it wasn't instant, then.

GRAHAM: No, and also she wasn't national when I met her. She hadn't become the Oprah...