timid exclusive: Bobbi Kristina Plans To 'Carry On' Whitney Houston's Legacy

'We're gonna do the singing thing. Some acting, some dancing,' 19-year-old tells Oprah Winfrey.
By Nadeska Alexis

Oprah Winfrey and Bobbi Kristina during Oprah's interview
Photo: OWN

Oprah Winfrey's intimate interviews with members of Whitney Houston's family aired on OWN, Sunday night. The 90-minute special, featured on "Oprah's Next Chapter," found Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina, sister-in-law/manager Patricia Houston and brother Gary Houston recounting their precious moments with the late singer.

Nineteen-year-old Bobbi Kristina referred to her mother as her confidante, telling Oprah, "I have to carry on the legacy."

"We're gonna do the singing thing. Some acting, some dancing," Bobbi Kristina said. "It's a lot of pressure, but she prepared me for it."

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When asked about her relationship with her mother, Bobbi admitted, "I was a little rebellious, but when it came down to it, I ran to Mom. We had our arguments, we had everything, but at the end of the day, that was still my mother, my confidante, my everything." And despite growing up with a superstar parent, she still saw Whitney simply as her mother.

"I just saw her as mom. The first time I saw her as a worldwide icon was when we went on tour," she said. "And the funeral. ... She made an impact not only on a few people. She made an impact on the world. That's when it hit me."

Bobbi Kristina had no trouble finding words to describe how she would like the world to remember her mother. "That she literally is an angel. I saw her hurt. I saw her cry. We held each other through that," she said. "They don't know who she was. Everything people are saying about her — all that negativity, it's garbage. That's not my mother.

She continued, "In reality, I know who she was. Her family knows who she was."

Houston's only child now resides in the star's Georgia mansion, where she says she can still feel Whitney's spirit guiding her. "I can hear her voice in spirit talking to me, [saying,] 'Keep talking to me. I got you.' She's always with me. I can always feel her. I can always feel her with me," she said. "She always asked me, 'Do you need me?' And I caught myself, out of nowhere, I didn't even know I said it, I said, 'I'll always need you.' "

Whitney Houston was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel room on February 11 and she was laid to rest in her hometown of Newark, New Jersey, on February 18. She was 48 years old.

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