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Image: Oprah Winfrey, Whitney Houston
George Burns  /  AP
Oprah Winfrey poses with Whitney Houston at the Town Hall in New York. Houston is interviewed by Winfrey for a two-part season premiere of The Oprah Winfrey Show, airing Sept. 14 and 15.
Access Hollywood
updated 9/8/2009 11:30:15 AM ET 2009-09-08T15:30:15

Oprah Winfrey’s upcoming interview with Whitney Houston is said to be a, “jaw-dropping, open, honest and candid” conversation that the daytime talk show queen is calling, “the best interview I’ve ever done.”

Winfrey sits down with Houston for a two-day interview starting on Monday, Sept. 14, where Houston discusses her marriage with Bobby Brown, drugs, rehab and how her family saved her.

“I think it’s the best interview I’ve ever done. But I guess you’re supposed to let other people say that about yourself. I can’t think of a moment, ever, when I had a stronger connection to the person I was interviewing,” Winfrey said in a statement to Access Hollywood. “My approach to this interview was to not be judgmental in any way, and not to go in trying to get her to say things to make a ‘moment.’ I just wanted to be able to have an honest conversation with her. One woman to another woman. And the day of the interview I literally prayed about that all day long. I just wanted a connection between the two of us. And that is what happened.”

With friends and family looking on, including Clive Davis and her daughter Bobbi Kristina, Houston brings down the house with an emotional performance of “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” from her new album “I Look To You,” which is expected to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

“I think whether you liked or loved Whitney Houston before you will certainly have a deeper appreciation for what she has been through as a human being,” Winfrey continued. “And I mean, the fans are just going to love her even more.”

“The Oprah Winfrey Show: Season Premiere: Oprah And Whitney Houston – The First Interview” airs Monday, Sept. 14. “The Oprah Winfrey Show: Season Premiere Part II: Whitney Houston’s Show-Stopping Surprise” airs Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Copyright 2012 by NBC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Photos: It's Oprah world

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  1. YOU get a thank you, and YOU get a thank you...

    Oprah Winfrey acknowledges fans during a star-studded taping of "Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular," in Chicago on Tuesday, May 17, 2011. Her famed talk show is finally going off the air after 25 years as Winfrey moves to her OWN network. (Kiichiro Sato / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  2. Honor from Hizzoner

    In one of his last acts before leaving office, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley presents Winfrey with a sign after a street was named in her honor outside her Harpo Studios in Chicago on Wednesday, May 11, 2011. (M. Spencer Green / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  3. Presidential visitors

    President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are pictured with Winfrey during a taping of one of her last shows in Chicago on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Winfrey memorably cried tears of joy when Obama was elected. (Charles Dharapak / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  4. On her OWN

    Winfrey, chairman of OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, announces the new original programming for the channel's Jan. 1, 2011 launch to members of the advertising and media communities on Thursday, April 8, 2010 in New York. (Mary Altaffer / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  5. Going Gaga

    Oprah Winfrey wears sunglasses and holds a hair bow given to her by Lady Gaga, left, after a live broadcast of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Friday, Jan. 15, 2010 in Chicago. (George Burns / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  6. Backed by Oprah

    Executive producers Tyler Perry, right, and Oprah Winfrey walk the red carpet at the AFI Fest 2009 gala screening of their new film "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" in Hollywood on Nov. 1, 2009. (Fred Prouser / Reuters) Back to slideshow navigation
  7. Chicago's failed Olympic bid

    First lady Michelle Obama, left, sits next to Winfrey and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, right, at the opening ceremonies of the 121st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session and XIII Olympic Congress at the Copenhagen Opera House on Oct. 1, 2009, in Copenhagen. Despite the star power backing its bid to host the 2016 Olympics, Chicago was eliminated during the first round. (Charles Dharapak / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  8. The queen of daytime

    Winfrey, right, performs with the Black Eyed Peas' Fergie, center, and will.i.am, left, in Chicago on Sept. 8, 2009, while taping an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." The episode was taped on a three-block stretch of Michigan Avenue near the Chicago River to celebrate the show's 24th season. (Kiichiro Sato / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  9. Honorary degree

    Winfrey smiles at Duke president Richard Brodhead after receiving her honorary degree from Duke University during a graduation ceremony in Durham, N.C., on May 10, 2009. Her godson, William Bumpus, son of her well-known friend, Gayle King, was among the graduates. (John Rottet / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  10. Charitable giving

    Winfrey stands in front of hundreds of children in Durban, South Africa, on Dec. 8, 2002. Tens of thousands of children received gifts of food, clothing, athletic shoes, school supplies, books and toys as part of Winfrey's philanthropic trip for her charity, the Oprah Winfrey Foundation. (Benny Gool / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
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