Kathy Bates has set the record straight regarding reports she used Ozempic to lose 100 lbs.
The Oscar-winning actress, 76, told People she lost 80 lbs. through diet and had lifestyle changes over the past seven years, then lost another 20 lbs. on Ozempic.
"There's been a lot of talk that I just was able to do this because of Ozempic," Bates said. "But I have to impress upon people out there that this was hard work for me, especially during the pandemic. It's very hard to say you've had enough."
Her weight loss journey began after she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes around 2017, Bates said.
"I ate because I was afraid, and I ate because it was a FU to my self-esteem," she said. "[Diabetes] runs in my family, and I'd seen what my father had gone through. He had had a leg amputation. One of my sisters is dealing with it very seriously, and it terrified me. It scared me straight."
Bates previously spoke about her dramatic weight loss in a September interview with Variety. The actor revealed that she was at her heaviest while starring in the 2011 NBC drama, "Harry's Law."
"I had to sit down every moment that I could," she recalled. "It was hard for me to walk. I'm ashamed I let myself get so out of shape, but now I have a tremendous amount of energy."
In the year that ensued, she began to lose weight, recalling in a 2019 interview the pivotal point came as she faced various health issues.
"I was facing diabetes — it runs in my family — and I really didn't want to live with that," she told Extra at the time, adding she is now "in the best health I've been in in years and I'm so grateful — it's a miracle."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.