Vanessa Feltz would have been "spared so much stress" if a weight-loss jab had been invented earlier.
Vanessa Feltz wanted a fat jab years ago
The 61-year-old TV star has been open about her battle with her weight over the years and following the news that the NHS is to offer Wegovy, a weight loss injection also known as semaglutide to tackle obesity, admitted that even though she "hasn't looked back" since having a gastric bypass in in 2019 and losing five stone, she would have "loved" the option of a weekly jab to shed the pounds.
Writing for The Sun newspaper's Fabulous magazine, she said: "Even with the best intentions and utmost willingness that I’ve had, my weight has fluctuated wildly over the years. My journey has been well documented. I slimmed from a size 22 to a size 10 between 1999 and 2000, but I ended up putting it all back on.
"I managed to lose two stone again in 2004, but yet again it returned. In 2007 I managed to drop 3st, but despite all the willpower I could muster, I couldn’t keep the weight off and I ended up back at size 22. By 2019 I decided to have a gastric bypass, where a small pouch is created in the stomach and connected to the small intestine, bypassing the rest of the stomach, so you take in less food and feel fuller for longer. Finally it worked, and all together I managed to lose five stone."
The former 'Strictly Come Dancing' star went on to explain that regular medication to manage her weight would have been a more appealing alternative to the invasive surgery after going to such "extreme" lengths to solve her problems.
She added: "But looking back, I’d have been spared so much turmoil, stress and upset if only this incredible drug had been available. Occasionally injecting yourself with medication sounds like a walk in the park compared to having two major surgeries. Since the gastric bypass I haven’t looked back.
"These days I’m a size 12-14, eat less, can control portion size and have tons of energy. But let’s be honest, it’s pretty extreme to have to go to those lengths, isn’t it? If I could have had a weekly injection instead, I would have loved it."
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