Oprah reveals she’s on weight loss drug Ozempic: ‘I’m done with the shaming’

Oprah Winfrey is coming clean.

The renowned talk show host finally admitted to resorting to a medication in order to lose weight after months of speculation, reports Page Six.

“I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing,” she told People on Wednesday.

“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.”

Winfrey, 69, added, “I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”
 

The Color Purple star did not disclose exactly which drug she took or whether it was Type II diabetes medication Ozempic, which has become a favourite for many celebrities.

However, Winfrey, whose weight has fluctuated for years, revealed she became more open to turning to a pharmaceutical after conducting a panel discussion with medical experts in July.

The media mogul had previously expressed during that chat that she believed turning to meds was taking the “easy way out.”

“I had the biggest ‘aha’ along with many people in that audience,” she recalled to People.

“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.”

Winfrey shared just how much success she has seen with the unnamed medication by noting that after Thanksgiving she gained only half a pound “instead of gaining eight pounds like [she] did last year.”

The Selma star said she is not yet at her goal weight of 160 pounds (72kg), though, but acknowledged that it ultimately is “not about the number.”
 

“It was a second shot for me to live a more vital and vibrant life,” she added.

Winfrey also told People that meds were just part of a larger fitness and health regimen.

“It’s everything,” she shared. “I know everybody thought I was on it, but I worked so damn hard. I know that if I’m not also working out and vigilant about all the other things, it doesn’t work for me.”

The O Magazine founder also credited hiking for assisting her in reaching her fitness goals.

“I could eventually hike three to five miles every day and a 10-mile straight-up hike on weekends,” she said. “I felt stronger, more fit and more alive than I’d felt in years.”

Winfrey sparked speculation that she had turned to pharmaceuticals to help shed weight after sporting a slimmer figure during a recent press tour.

However, she initially skirted around admitting to getting medical assistance, telling Entertainment Tonight earlier this month, “Well it’s not one thing, it’s everything … and I intend to keep it that way,” before adding that she had been “on that treadmill” for hours prior to her movie premiere.

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission.