Oprah Winfrey has insisted her weight loss drug use is part of a balanced health and fitness regime.
Oprah Winfrey has insisted her weight loss drug use is part of a balanced health and fitness regime
The chat show veteran, 69, shocked fans by admitting to People she has been on pharmaceuticals to control her figure as she considers them a “tool” for life – and hit out at trolls by saying she was sick of body “shaming”.
But she also stressed to the publication about the meds being part of a balanced lifestyle choice: “It’s everything. 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.”
Oprah added she has been hiking to help her reach her fitness goals, adding: “I could eventually hike three to five miles every day and a 10-mile straight-up hike on weekends.
“I felt stronger, more fit and more alive than I’d felt in years.”
The entrepreneur sparked speculation she was on weight loss medication after sporting a slimmer figure during a recent press tour.
She initially dodged admitting she had used meds, telling Entertainment Tonight: “Well it’s not one thing, it’s everything … and I intend to keep it that way.”
She also said she had been “on that treadmill”.
But Oprah told People about being on the medication: “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.”
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 favourite weight loss drug for Hollywood stars.
She added she is not yet at her goal weight of 160 pounds, but insisted her aims are not just “about the number”.
Oprah said: “It was a second shot for me to live a more vital and vibrant life.”
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