Slimmed down celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk and Sharon Osbourne, have all confessed to taking diabetes diet drug Ozempic.
The medication is prescribed to manage blood glucose levels in diabetic patients, but has been hijacked by Hollywood, as it was discovered that non-diabetics could control their appetite and lose weight by taking the drug, which is administered via an injection. It has not been approved by medical boards in the UK and US to be used by people to help them lose weight, but famous faces have been giving the controversial drug the limelight by showing off their incredible transformations.
However, there is a lot of stigma attached to admitting taking Ozempic, or other brands of diabetes medication, and many Hollywood stars have refused to come clean with the reason behind their weight loss. The huge boost in popularity has also led to a shortage of the life-saving medication, prompting warnings from doctors and medical professionals.
READ MORE: Oprah Winfrey shares how her use of weight loss drugs provided hope after 'years' of 'shame'
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah has struggled with her weight and body confidence over the years (Getty Images for Discovery Commu)
She started taking the diabetes medication last year (The Hollywood Reporter via Getty)Oprah Winfrey is one of the most high-profile celebrities who has confessed to taking Ozempic, but she initially refused to explain her staggering weight loss when asked by reporters last year. The TV host previously vowed to never use the diabetes medication, but changed her tune when she lost more than 40lbs, and was forced to admit she had taken the diabetes drug to help transform her body and mindset.
Robbie Williams poised to launch his own brand of energy drinks to rival Prime
“The fact that there's a medically-approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for,” Oprah told People, as she insisted she wouldn’t be “shamed” into hiding the reason behind her weight loss. She later explained she doesn’t use it regularly, but instead administers the injection to “manage” yo-yo dieting.
Elon Musk
Elon was prompted to lose weight after seeing unflattering photos of himself online
He's since shifted the pounds thanks to Ozempic and fasting (Getty Images)Elon Musk is another famous face who has confessed to taking the weight loss wonder drug, and claimed diabetes medication made him “fit, ripped and healthy” after losing 30lbs. During a chat with a fan in October last year, the 52-year-old said he had been taking Wegovy, which is another brand of the drug, and was also fasting to keep the pounds off.
“Fasting + Ozempic/Wegovy + no tasty food for me,” he wrote in the exchange on X, and he admitted he was inspired to take the drug after seeing unflattering photos of himself circulating online. However, he did reveal that there was a disgusting side-effect to the drug. “Does it give you those nasty burps? Taste like rotten eggs lol ugh,” one fan asked, prompting Elon to reply: “Yeah, next-level.”
Chelsea Handler
Chelsea said she was given the medication by her 'anti-ageing doctor' (WENN.com)
She has since stopped taking the medication after feeling 'guilty' (Jen Lowery / SplashNews.com)Comedian Chelsea Handler is another Hollywood A-lister who has admitted to taking Ozempic, but confessed she didn’t realise she was taking it until she began losing weight. During an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Chelsea said her “anti-ageing doctor” gave her some pills to take, but didn’t tell her they were Ozempic, and would lead to her shedding the pounds.
“I didn't even know I was on it. If you ever want to drop five pounds, this is good,” she quipped. Chelse said she stopped injecting herself with the medication after feeling guilty over using it. “I'm not on it anymore. That's too irresponsible. I've injected about four or five of my friends with Ozempic because I realised I didn't want to use it 'cause it's silly. It's for heavy people,” she added.
Robbie Williams
Robbie suffers from body dysmorphia (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
He's lost more than 25lbs taking Ozempic (Tim Whitby/Getty Images for BAFTA)Singer Robbie Williams has had his battle with weight documented over the years, but he said he had finally got his diet and lifestyle under control thanks to the diabetes medication. Speaking to The Times, the Rock DJ hitmaker said: “Babe, I'm on Ozempic. Well, something like Ozempic. It's like a Christmas miracle.”
The 50-year-old singer revealed he struggles with body dysmorphia, and the former Take That star credited Ozempic with helping his mental wellbeing. “And I need it, medically. I’ve been diagnosed with type 2 self-loathing. It’s shockingly catastrophic to my mental health to be bigger,” Robbie explained, adding that he’d lost around 25lbs.
Boy George
Boy George has taken two types of diabetes medication to shift the pounds (Getty Images)
He claimed there were many other celebs who had lost weight due to the medication (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Quantus Gallery)Boy George is another British singer who has confessed to using Ozempic, and wrote about using the diabetes medication to help him lose weight in his memoir Karma, which was released earlier this year. “I know I don't enjoy being overweight and it's something I really want to deal with. I have struggled with my weight most of my life and being under public and media scrutiny doesn't help,” the 62-year-old candidly shared.
He revealed he started on Ozempic but switched to Mounjaro, and criticised other celebrities who were refusing to share the reason behind their changing figures. “I love food, and I can't control my appetite, but I think I have finally got it under control,” he wrote. “Well, I'm on Mounjaro. Isn't everyone? Trust me, anyone who was fat last year and is not skinny is on the wonder drug.”
Amy Schumer
Amy began taking Ozempic last year (Getty Images)
She stopped after becoming too skinny and weak (Kristina Bumphrey/PictureGroup for HULU/REX/Shutterstock)Amy Schumer came clean about using Ozempic last year, but revealed she had a shocking reaction to the medication and was forced to stop taking it after losing too much weight. Speaking with host Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live, the Trainwreck star said she was left so skinny and weak that she couldn’t play with her young son Gene.
Robbie Williams and wife Ayda Field discuss their 'completely dead' sex life
“Like a year ago, I tried it. I was one of those people that felt so sick and couldn't play with my son. I was so skinny and he's throwing a ball at me and [I couldn't],” she explained. “And you're like, ‘OK, this isn't livable for me’. But I immediately invested [in it] because I knew everyone was going to try it.”
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon, pictured here in 2020, has lost a staggering amount of weight since taking the drug (Getty Images)
She's expressed concern over the medication after claiming she's lost 'too much weight' (Dave Benett/Getty Images)Sharon Osbourne is another famous face who has wanted others about the potentially dangerous side effects of taking Ozempic, and revealed she lost too much weight after taking the medication. The 71-year-old lost more than 45lbs while taking the drug, and is now afraid of the long-term effects on her health.
“I can't afford to lose anymore. My weight has stabilised. I went down to about 97lb (43kg) and it was like, ‘oh no!’. I needed to put some weight back on, which I have,” she told Women magazine. “You can lose so much weight and it's easy to become addicted to that, which is very dangerous. I couldn't stop losing weight and now I've lost 42lbs.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
