Oprah Winfrey has discovered she has a half-sister — a Milwaukee woman who was given up for adoption* by Winfrey’s mother nearly 50 years ago, when the talk show host was 8 years old.

    An emotional Winfrey introduced her newly found sister to viewers on Monday and explained the woman’s persistent* quest to find her birth mother.

    “This, my friends, is the miracle of all miracles,” Winfrey said before bringing out the 48-year-old woman, who throughout the program was identified only as Patricia, with no mention of her occupation* or any other details.

    After years of searching for blood relatives, the woman met Winfrey on Thanksgiving Day last year.

    When Patricia was born in Milwaukee in 1963, the young Winfrey was living with her father and did not even know her mother was pregnant*, she said.

    Patricia, who Winfrey said bounced* from foster* home to foster home until she was adopted at age 7, had given up after previous searches for her mother. But she decided to resume* looking several years ago at the insistence* of her grown children.

    One day Patricia watched the local news about Winfrey’ mother, Vernita Lee, who revealed* details about two of her children who had since died. Those details, Patricia said, matched information she had seen in papers about her own adoption.

    Winfrey’s mother also said that one of the deceased* children had been named Patricia.

    Patricia found the daughter of Winfrey’s dead sister in Milwaukee, and they took a DNA test that confirmed their relationship.

    Winfrey said she was particularly stunned* by the news. She said Patricia had known since 2007 that the two were related, but never attempted to profit from her discovery.

    Had Patricia sold her remarkable story to the tabloids*, she would have likely received a healthy sum for the exclusive*.

    (SD-Agencies)