Oprah Winfrey's best friend Gayle King has branded the multiple allegations of physical and verbal abuse at her school in South Africa "heartbreaking" - and insists she and the talk show host are tackling the investigation head on.

King, who co-founded the $46 million boarding school for underprivileged girls, has accompanied Winfrey to Henley-on-Klip's Leadership Academy twice in the past week.

She says, "We're definitely working on it. There is still an investigation. We're trying to figure out what is real and what isn't. It's just heart wrenching that the situation even happened. It really is. Heart wrenching doesn't do it justice."

The school is now being investigated by the South African police and U.S. investigators after a member of staff was removed from the Johannesburg school by child protection officers.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)