Gladys Knight, Celine Dion and Ellen DeGeneres pay tribute to Oprah Winfrey yesterday

Gladys Knight, Celine Dion and Ellen DeGeneres were among the stars who paid tribute to Oprah Winfey at the Daytime Emmy Awards yesterday (19.06.11).

The TV talk show host ' who recently ended her programme after 25 years ' was honoured with a Crystal Pillar Award at the ceremony in recognition of the way she has changed the face of daytime television.

Gladys performed 'That's What Friends Are For' as a montage of the star's shows played behind her, while Celine gave a rendition of 'Because You Loved Me' from the stage at Las Vegas' Caesar's Palace in Oprah's honour.

In a video message, Ellen said: "For the past 25 years, the world has been lucky to call you a friend. I will miss you and I love you."

The 'View' presenter Barbara Walters said of the star: "Oprah, we are always getting asked to present each other with awards . now, you are getting the Crystal Pillar Award because of your enormous contribution to daytime television. In this, you are unique and unsurpassed."

Oprah did not attend the ceremony at the Las Vegas Hilton, but accepted her accolade in a video, surrounded by her staff at Chicago's Harpo studios.

She said in the clip: "We are sorry we couldn't be there to celebrate. On behalf of the entire team, we thank you for honouring our show, we thank you for 25 years. This show has served as a platform to enlighten and entertain our millions of viewers . it has been a phenomenon that none of us could have imagined in our wildest dreams. None of this would have been possible without the support of the best team in television. Thank you!"

Popular soap opera 'The Bold and the Beautiful' was the biggest winner at the ceremony ' which was hosted by game show host Wayne Brady - taking home four honours including accolades for drama series, supporting actress in a drama series for Heather Tom and younger actor in a drama series for Scott Clifton, while the directing team were jointly honoured along with the 'Young and the Restless'.

Daytime Emmy Awards 2011 list of winners:

Drama series: 'The Bold and the Beautiful'
Lead actress in a drama series: Laura Wright, 'General Hospital'
Lead actor in a drama series: Michael Park, 'As the World Turns'
Supporting actress in a drama series: Heather Tom, 'The Bold and the Beautiful'
Supporting actor in a drama series: Jonathan Jackson, 'General Hospital'
Game show (tie): 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune'
Informative talk show: 'The Dr. Oz Show'
Entertainment talk show: 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'
Younger Actor in a drama series: Scott Clifton, 'The Bold and the Beautiful'
Younger Actress in a drama series: Brittany Allen, 'All My Children'
Entertainment talk show: 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'
Drama series directing team (tie): 'The Bold and the Beautiful' and 'The Young and the Restless'
Drama series writing team: 'The Young and the Restless'
Talk-show host (tie): Mehmet Oz, 'The Dr. Oz Show', and Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa, 'Live with Regis and Kelly'
Game-show host: Ben Bailey, 'Cash Cab'