She will also get a seat on the board as part of the deal, which will
grant the company the right to use her image and name on its goods and
adverts.
Ms Winfrey is buying 6.4 million shares of Weight Watchers at $6.79 apiece.
She will also receive options to buy another 5% of the firm. The firms' shares leapt 48% to $10.03 in premarket trading.
"We
are expanding our purpose from focusing on weight loss alone to more
broadly helping people lead a healthier, happier life," said Weight
Watchers chief Jim Chambers.
Weight Watchers is one of the world's
leading weight loss brand, but fewer people have been subscribing to
classes, with rival mobile apps and activity monitors a contributing
cause.
In the US, where the company has the majority of its subscribers, the number of people signing up has fallen by more than 20%.
In April, the founder of Weight Watchers, Jean Nidetch, died at home in Florida, aged 91.
In 1978, the company was sold to Heinz for $71m and she retired to south Florida.
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