Oprah Winfrey is back in her throne on top of Forbes’ list of the world’s most powerful celebrities, after a two-year stint in the runner-up seat.

The billionaire American talk-show host, 59, knocked singer Jennifer Lopez off the spot and into number 12, but still shares the top ten winners’ enclosure arena with a multitude of women.

There are six girls in the plum positions – and the only man to make it into the top five is film director Steven Spielberg, who, coming third, is sandwiched between Lady Gaga in second and Beyonce in fourth.

Oprah Winfrey was top of the list in 2010, but lost out to Jennifer Lopez last year and Lady Gaga in 2011

Singer and actress Madonna comes fifth and Taylor Swift makes her top 10 debut at number six in the annual Top 100 compiled by the financial magazine, which is based on income over a 12-month period and fame, as defined by a media presence across all platforms, as well as social media power.

Forbes calculated celebrity’s earnings on income from tours, books, contracts, endorsements, movies and residuals and each star was given a marketability score, created by California market research firm E-Poll.

Forbes credits Oprah’s $77 million (£50m) earnings between June 2012 and June 2013 – as well as her prominence on TV, on social media and in the press – for her placing.

Lady Gaga, despite being forced to cancel numerous dates on her moneymaking ‘Born This Way Ball’ tour due to hip surgery earlier this year, earned $80 million from the global jaunt

Forbes writer Dorothy Pomerantz said: ‘She still wields an enormous amount of power, which is really what we look for in our fame matrix.

‘She is taking this cable network and turning it around just through the sheer force of her will, her connections and her ability.’

Winfrey, who has topped the list on four previous occasions, is one of three celebrities who have featured on the prestigious list every year since its inception in 1999, along with radio DJ Howard Stern and director Steven Spielberg.

Buy she wasn’t the highest earning star over the last year. Madonna earned $125 million (£81m) between June 2012 and June 2013.

Singer Beyonce came fourth on the list, just below Steven Spielberg but above Madonna

Director Steven Spielberg, left, is the only man to make the top five, while singer Taylor Swift, right, makes a Top 10 debut at number six

Last year’s number one, Jennifer Lopez – who topped the chart thanks to her public profile and earnings of $52 million – drops to 12 on this year’s countdown.

Meanwhile, Lady Gaga, despite being forced to cancel numerous dates on her moneymaking ‘Born This Way Ball’ tour due to hip surgery earlier this year, earned $80 million from the global jaunt.

Forbes also cites the 27-year-old star’s devoted fan following on social media for her lofty ranking.

Pomerantz said: ‘She is still a huge force in pop music. Even when she is not playing, people are talking about her and speculating about her.’

Forbes also deciphered how often individual stars appeared in the media and used Starcount – a Singapore-based company that studies celebrity’s presence on 11 different social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, to assess popularity and influence.

Madonna, left, shot up to number five, having not made the top 100 last year, while Jennifer Lopez, right, drops fromthe  top spot on last year’s list to number 12 (but she still made $45m, so she probably isn’t too worried)

Read more: Daily Mail