"Oprah said, 'Never let anyone dim your light'" - How Oprah Winfrey's dating advice steered Serena Williams towards husband Alexis Ohanian
Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian are widely known as the power couple. However, did you know the two might not have gotten together if it hadn't been for renowned American talk show host Oprah Winfrey's valuable dating advice?
Williams first met Ohanian in 2015, and the duo got engaged in December 2016. They tied the knot in 2017 and are now the proud parents of two adorable daughters.
The couple celebrated the birth of their first daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. in September 2017. They were blessed with their second daughter, Adira River Ohanian, in August 2023.
Serena Williams shared in a 2019 interview with Allure magazine that Oprah Winfrey's advice to 'never let anyone dim her light' changed her dating approach for the better.
"Oprah said, 'Never let anyone dim your light.' That really stuck with me," Williams said.
The American also said that her husband, Alexis Ohanian, never casts a shade on her; instead, the tech entrepreneur always strives to push her to her limits, in contrast to her past relationships.
"Alexis doesn’t dim my light. He doesn’t try to dim my light. He puts me in the light, even if I don’t want to be. He pushes me to further points I never thought about," Serena Williams said.
"It always was something that I could see in some relationships—my light would be dimmer. Now I feel like I can shine really bright and still do everything that I want to do," she added.
Before her relationship with Ohanian, the 23-time Grand Slam champion was romantically linked with Common, Drake, Grigor Dimitrov, Brett Ratner and her former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou.
"I want to teach Olympia that she's beautiful from the inside" - Serena Williams
In the same interview with Allure, Serena Williams shared a few words of wisdom with her daughter, Olympia, about beauty.
The 42-year-old said that her mother advised her and her elder sister, Venus Williams, to be 'confident' and 'proud' of their physical appearances, which she would pass on to her daughter.
"I think my mom instilled in us to be confident women, to really believe in ourselves, be proud of our heritage, our hair, and our bodies. That was something that was really important for her to teach us," Williams said.
"I’m definitely teaching it to my daughter. I want to teach her that she’s beautiful from the inside...Being kind and humble is the ultimate beauty," she added.
Serena Williams retired at the 2022 US Open, where she lost to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round. Her illustrious career spanned over two decades, winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals, among others.