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Gayle King Consulted with *This* Celebrity Before Agreeing to Go to Space

She even revealed the advice she received

gayle king space flight oprah winfrey
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Gayle King might be 70 years old, but when it comes to major life decisions, she always turns to her best friend, Oprah Winfrey

gayle king space flight oprah winfrey
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

This week, King announced that she will join the historic all-female crew for Blue Origin's next flight to space, which is scheduled to launch this spring. Prior to agreeing to the mission, the anchor consulted with her two children, Kirby and Will, and (of course) Winfrey.

“Once Kirby and Will and Oprah was fine with it, I was fine,” King said on an episode of CBS Mornings

King revealed that she respects Winfrey’s opinion, and she expected the media mogul to express concern. However, that wasn’t the case. “I thought Oprah would say no, no. She said, ‘I think if you don’t do it, when they all come back and you had the opportunity to do it, you will be kicking yourself.’ She’s right.”

gayle king space flight oprah winfrey
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

The news anchor will be joined by singer Katy Perry, journalist Lauren Sánchez, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and producer Kerianne Flynn. 

Following the announcement, King admitted that she’s understandably nervous about the historic flight. “I don’t know how to explain being terrified and excited at the same time,” she said. “It’s like how I felt about to deliver a baby.”

Still, King explained that her 70th birthday marked a turning point in her life, adding, “I thought I wanted to open myself up to new adventures and step out of my comfort zone.”

Let the countdown to blastoff begin. 

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