TORONTO -- Thousands of elated Oprah Winfrey fans lined up for hours to see the television guru at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Monday.

Those waiting in line for up to eight hours before the show had general admission tickets and wanted to make sure they got the best seat possible for Oprah's Lifeclass: The Tour.

Julie Hryniewicz drove all night from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., to be first in line.

"I booked work off for this and I didn't want to be at the back of the line. Oprah has overcome adversity and believes in dreams. I have been a fan for 20 years so you have no idea how much this means to me," Hryniewicz said.

"I have tried to get tickets to one of her shows for years so this is definitely on my bucket list."
Kelly Fyffe-Marshal, 23, of Brampton, Ont., said she has waited her whole life to go to an Oprah show.

"I'm here to learn life-improvement skills and to hear from the other speakers," Fyffe-Marshal said. "I just graduated from a TV production course at Seneca and I want to produce shows.

"I'm in the second section back out of five sections. I wasn't rich enough to get the best seats."

Jennifer Selinger added she is going into broadcasting and is the biggest Oprah fan in all of Montreal.

"Every day for the past 15 years I have watched Oprah. This is a dream come true and I'll be lucky if I don't faint. I'm making a documentary of this trip and I hope to get back stage. I will be the next Oprah," Selinger said.
Calvin Strachan -- one of the very few men in attendance -- brought his fiancée and mom to the show.

"My mom is a huge fan and it is my fiancée's birthday, but I admit I watch the show. One of the topics today is forgiveness and I need training to deal with past issues," Strachan said.