In one swoop, “Basketball Wives” co-star Evelyn Lozada had lost it all, her glamorous lifestyle, reality show, and her marriage shortly after the storybook wedding. Lozada tells all to Iyanla Vanzant in the powerful two-part series premiere of “Iyanla, Fix My Life,” airing two Saturdays in a row, Sept. 15 and 22, at 10 p.m. EST/PST on OWN.
If Lozada was ever going to reclaim her life, she needed some tough love from a woman who had walked in her red bottoms. Relationship expert and author (her latest book, Peace From Broken Pieces) Iyanla Vanzant is qualified for the task, and then some.
Vanzant appeared on the “Oprah” show every Tuesday in the late ’90s to share tough truths to guests about their relationship issues. Vanzant was magnetic, a must-see for millions, and the fame, fortune and million-dollar book deals rolled in.
A year into her routine, Vanzant met with Oprah and Harpo executives to discuss the possibility of hosting her own show, but they felt it was too soon for Vanzant to make that move. Vanzant left Oprah to host the “Iyanla Show,” and in 2002, the show was canceled after its first season.
After the show was canceled, Vanzant’s daughter Gemmia succumbed to cancer, her marriage ended and the million-dollar book deals were gone.
Last February, Oprah and Vanzant met face-to-face once again, this time to atone and rekindle the friendship. Vanzant told Oprah, “I didn’t think you wanted me for me. I thought that what I did was what you wanted and I, the person, didn’t matter. … I love you, my sister. Always have, always will.”
The awesome power of forgiveness is on full display with Vanzant’s transformative new show. “Iyanla Vanzant puts the real in reality TV,” Oprah beams on the extended promo for the show, and Vanzant really does.
