Oprah Winfrey's weight loss has had people buzzing for weeks, and now the veteran talk show host has admitted to taking weight loss medication — but has not specified if it is celebrity favourite Ozempic.
Winfrey, 69, whose weight loss fluctuations have long been scrutinised in the media, added she was sick of "shaming" from critics of people who are on such drugs and feels as if it is time for her to come clean as she uses it as a "tool" for a better life.
"I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing. 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," she told People about being on the medication.
Turning to trolls, she added: "I'm absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself."
The Color Purple actress did not disclose exactly which drug she took or whether it was diabetes medication Ozempic, which has become a coveted weight loss solution for Hollywood stars. But she did admit she became more open to turning to meds after conducting a panel discussion with medical experts in July — after previously saying during the event she believed turning to pharmaceuticals to manage weight was taking the "easy way out".
"I had the biggest, 'Aha' along with many people in that audience," she continued. "I realised I'd been blaming myself all these years for being overweight, and I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control."
Oprah also said her unknown medication led her to gaining only half a pound following Thanksgiving instead of the eight pounds she put on over the holiday last year.
She added she is not yet at her goal weight of 160 pounds, but insisted her aims are not just "about the number". "It was a second shot for me to live a more vital and vibrant life."