Oprah Winfrey rushed to hospital, friend reveals ‘very serious’ illness

Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey was rushed to hospital with a “very serious” illness, her friend has revealed during a live TV broadcast.

Oprah Winfrey was recently rushed to hospital with a “very serious” illness.

The US broadcast veteran, 70, reportedly came down with a nasty “stomach flu”, according to fellow talk show host Gayle King, and had to be put on an IV for dehydration.

It is not known when Winfrey was admitted to hospital.

Gayle King (left) revealed Oprah Winfrey has been ill. Picture: Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

King, 69, let details slip while hosting CBS Mornings on Tuesday, local time, in which Winfrey was scheduled to make an appearance.

“She had some kind of stomach thing — stomach flu — stuff was coming out of both ends,” King said.

“I won’t get too graphic. Needless to say, she ended up in the hospital, dehydration, had to get an IV, it was a very serious thing.

“[I hope] she’s not mad at me for sharing that detail.”

A spokesperson for Winfrey said the billionaire was “recovering” following a stomach flu.

“She is resting and feeling better every day,” the statement read.

Oprah has recently shed 20kg. Picture: Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images

Oprah said she was sick of "shaming" surrounding weight loss drugs.

It comes months after Winfrey revealed she shed almost 20kg using a weight-loss medication — similar to Ozempic - though she didn’t specify which drug she had taken.

“The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift — and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for,” she told People at the time.

“I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”

Side effects from taking Ozempic can include diarrhoea, abdominal pain and vomiting, according to the drug’s official website.

Despite controversy surrounding the Ozempic craze sweeping Hollywood, the medication has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Type 2 diabetes.