IT’S hard to imagine a time when the word ‘Ozempic’ wasn’t part of our vocabulary.
For years, celebs have embraced the “skinny jab” craze by using the medication to shed the pounds – but many aren’t so quick to admit it.
Celebs like Gemma Collins and Rebel Wilson have proudly used skinny jabs to shed the pounds[/caption]
Weight loss medications like Ozempic have boomed in popularity in recent years[/caption]
The diabetes medication has become the poster child for a new wave of weight loss injections that can help people drop up to a fifth of their body weight.
The drugs, which have been branded a ‘miracle’ by some, work by mimicking GLP-1, a hormone released in the body when we are full.
It has several effects, including slowing down stomach emptying, acting on the brain to reduce appetite and boosting insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar levels.
Among the brands are the infamous Ozempic, as well as Mounjaro, Wegovy and Zepbound.
As with most health and fitness trends, celebrities have always been one step ahead of us.
This Morning host Alison Hammond and the Kardashian-Jenner family have been the subject of constant speculation about their use.
On the flip side, stars like Gemma Collins and Sharon Osbourne have been refreshingly open about their experiences with Ozempic.
We take a closer look at which celebrities have turned to skinny jabs to drop the pounds – and those who insist they’ve never used them despite the ongoing rumours…
JABBED AND PROUD
Gemma Collins: “I don’t even want to eat anymore”
Gemma Collins, pictured in July 2022, is on track to losing six stone thanks to Mounjaro[/caption]
The reality TV icon, pictured now, couldn’t even roll over in bed when she was at her heaviest of 23 stone[/caption]
After a decade of being TV’s most famous poster girl for shapely women, Gemma Collins exclusively told The Sun weight loss jabs have transformed her life.
The reality TV icon, who has flaunted her curves and released plus-sized clothing ranges, revealed she had been fighting a sad battle with her body for years.
At her heaviest, when she weighed over 23 stone and was a size 26, she couldn’t even roll over in bed and was left unable to wear sexy lingerie.
So, after years of fad diets, Gemma, 44, resorted to NHS-approved Mounjaro injections and has now dropped two stone.
I can’t believe I’ve finally found something that works. I bet my house by May, I’ll have six stone off. And it’s been effortless
Gemma Collins
She told The Sun last week: “I can’t believe I’ve finally found something that works. I’ve lost nearly two stone already and it’s been completely effortless – I don’t even want to eat anymore!
“I got on the scales and lost something like six kilograms in my first week.
“I bet my house by May, I’ll have six stone off. And it’s been effortless.”
During her darkest period Gemma had a secret operation to have a gastric balloon, called an Obalon Balloon, fitted but was left feeling so unwell she believed she was going to die.
Oprah Winfrey: “I thought thin people had more willpower”
Oprah Winfrey, pictured in 2013, was one of the first celebrities to openly admit to using skinny jabs back in 2023[/caption]
American telly personality Oprah Winfrey was one of the first celebrities to openly admit to using skinny jabs back in 2023.
The 71-year-old said ‘food noise’ – a term used to refer to the constant, intrusive thoughts about eating – caused her to never stop eating until she was full.
She said on her podcast: “One of the things that I realised the very first time I took a GLP-1 was that all these years, I thought that thin people just had more willpower.
“They ate better foods, they were able to stick to it longer, they never had a potato chip.
All these years, I thought that thin people just had more willpower – they ate better foods, they were able to stick to it longer, they never had a potato chip
Oprah Winfrey
“And then I realised the very first time I took the GLP-1 that, ‘oh, they’re not even thinking about it’.
“They’re only eating when they’re hungry, and they’re stopping when they’re full.”
She has since referred to weight loss injections as a “maintenance tool” rather than a quick solution.
Oprah stepped down from her role as a WeightWatchers ambassador following her use of skinny jabs. She said it was due to her desire to “be able to talk about whatever I want to talk about” regarding weight-loss issues.
Rebel Wilson: “My relationship with food is complicated”
The Australian actress, pictured in 2024, has used Ozempic to shed a whopping 80 pounds[/caption]
After much speculation, actress Rebel Wilson admitted in April last year she had used Ozempic to shed a whopping 80 pounds back in 2020.
The 45-year-old told The Sunday Times: “Someone like me could have a bottomless appetite for sweets, so I think those drugs can be good.
“I feel strongly that young women shouldn’t try to obsess over looking like Victoria’s Secret models – they should just look like themselves
“I know that my relationship with food is complicated.”
Rebel previously claimed to have successfully reached her 165 pound goal weight through high-intensity interval workouts and long hikes, complemented by a high-protein, low-sugar diet.
The Australian actress suffers from polycystic ovarian syndrome, a condition which affects fertility, and originally decided to slim down following advice from her IVF doctor in 2019.
But due to her trope of playing “fat funny characters” in Hollywood films, she felt her weight loss wasn’t welcomed by her industry peers.
She said: “Basically no one apart from my mom wanted me to lose weight. People thought I’d lose my pigeonhole in my career – playing the fat funny character – and they wanted me to continue in that.”
OZEMPIC REGRETS
Lottie Moss: “I’d rather die than take it again”
Lottie Moss, the half-sister of supermodel Kate Moss, admitted to using weight loss jabs on her Dream On podcast.
However, the 27-year-old was taking too high a dosage at just nine stone in weight, which led to a terrifying seizure and hospital dash.
The medication, which she injected into her leg, was intended for someone double her weight and, as a result, left her with side effects that were so bad she said she’d “rather die than take it again”.
Lottie revealed: “It made me feel so nauseous. I took it for two weeks.
I’ve never felt sicker in my life. I was throwing up, it was horrible
Lottie Moss
“It comes with a pen and different doses, you take one injection one week, one injection the next week and you take every week, and I’ve never felt sicker in my life.
“I was throwing up, it was horrible. I took a lower dosage the first time I took it then I went up higher. I ended up being in bed for two days, felt so sick, my weight had dropped.”
The severity of her symptoms escalated and led to a middle of the night dash to A&E.
It was in hospital that she learned she’d been taking a much higher dose than was safe for her body.
Who can use weight loss injections?
Weight loss injections should be taken under the supervision of a doctor.
The NHS plans to make Mounjaro available from spring this year for people who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 35, say the experts at Beacon Medical Group.
Candidates for the jab most also have at least one obesity-related health problem, like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease.
At first, the medication will only be available to patients in specialist weight-management services.
The wider rollout, which may include GP practices, is expected to start later in the year.
Sharon Osbourne: “I didn’t actually want to go this thin”
In 2023, Celebrity Big Brother star Sharon Osbourne admitted to using the drug in order to shed 42 pounds.
While speaking to Piers Morgan, the 72-year-old described some of the side effects.
She said: “You don’t throw up physically, but you’ve got that feeling. It was about two, or three weeks where I felt nauseous the whole time. You get very thirsty and you don’t want to eat.
“That’s why I keep saying you’ve got to keep this stuff away from younger people because they will go berserk on it, and it’s not right.”
I didn’t actually want to go this thin but it just happened. It needs to be in the hands of only people who totally understand it
Sharon Osbourne
She also revealed she no longer uses the drug, and added: “It’s just time to stop, I didn’t actually want to go this thin but it just happened.”
Reflecting further on her experience on Good Morning Britain in November 2023, Sharon confessed she “could do with putting on a few pounds” as she issued a warning about Ozempic.
Speaking to GMB hosts Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway she said: “I fear for teenagers, I’m scared for those aged 16 to 20 as it’s so easy to take it and think ‘I can eat what I want’.
“It needs to be in the hands of only people who totally understand it.”
OZEMPIC RUMOUR MILL
Shaughna Phillips: “A quick fix wasn’t going to solve the issues I had with food”
The 30-year-old exclusively told Fabulous she shed the pounds through hard work[/caption]
Love Island alum Shaughna Phillips was plagued with skinny jab accusations after losing nearly six stone and shrinking to a size eight.
But the 30-year-old exclusively told Fabulous she shed the pounds through hard work – and didn’t use appetite suppressing jabs as a “quick fix”.
She told of her concerns over what she considers to be a worrying trend of celebrities using jabs such as Ozempic, and often becoming dangerously thin as a result.
The mum-of-one said: “I didn’t want to get thin. I wanted to get fit for myself and for my daughter.
I didn’t want to get thin. I wanted to get fit for myself and for my daughter. A quick fix wasn’t going to solve the issues I had with food
Shaughna Phillips
“Weight-loss jabs take your appetite away. That might make you skinny, but it won’t make you strong, fit and healthy. And a quick fix wasn’t going to solve the issues I had with food.”
Trolls would target Shaughna on Instagram but she assured this “doesn’t change facts”.
She added: “People say my weight loss has happened overnight, but it’s only because they’ve just noticed it. I was still getting trolled for being fat back in May 2024, when I’d actually already lost 3st.
“If Ozempic was banned tomorrow, that would do me the world of good because then people would know that I’ve done this all by myself.”
Alison Hammond: “The sweets had to stop”
This Morning presenter Alison Hammond says she dodged using weight loss jabs to shed 11 stone after learning she was pre-diabetic.
The TV star, 49, set skinny jab rumours straight in December last year when she said she exercised with the help of a personal trainer and overhauled her diet.
While drugs such as Ozempic have been popular with celebs, they did not appeal to the mum-of-one.
She told Good Housekeeping: “For me, as soon as I hear any scare story, I get frightened.
I thought ‘I have to be an adult about this’. The sweets had to stop – and the fatty foods
Alison Hammond
“So I haven’t wanted to use them, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t in the future, and I certainly wouldn’t look down on anyone who did.
“I thought ‘I have to be an adult about this’. The sweets had to stop – and the fatty foods.
“Twice a week I see my personal trainer, and I have a couple of weights in my bedroom.”
Alison, who once weighed 28st, likely ate in a calorie deficit to shed the pounds meaning she consumed fewer calories than her body needed to maintain its current weight, leading to weight loss.
Khloe Kardashian: “Please stop with your assumptions”
She became a gym bunny following the breakdown of her marriage to Lamar Odom in 2016[/caption]
Once cruelly dubbed the “fat Kardashian sister”, 40-year-old Khloe became a gym bunny following the breakdown of her marriage to Lamar Odom in 2016.
However, with her figure shrinking further and further over the following nine years, the mum-of-two sparked weight loss injection rumours.
She has been quick to shut these down, though.
In 2023, Khloe posted photos of herself on Instagram which led to fans posting Ozempic accusations in the comments.
When I was bigger, if they had Ozempic, I probably would have tried it, because I tried any other thing. I tried any fad weight loss trend except for the real thing that actually works, and that’s a lifestyle change
Khloe Kardashian
She replied to one: “Let’s not discredit my years of working out. I get up five days a week at 6am to train. Please stop with your assumptions. I guess new year still means mean people.”
And Khloe shared more thoughts on an episode of the latest series of The Kardashians last month.
She said in a confessional interview: “When I was bigger, if they had Ozempic, I probably would have tried it, because I tried any other thing.
“I tried any fad weight loss trend except for the real thing that actually works, and that’s a lifestyle change.”
Kelly Osbourne: “I saw what it did to my mum”
Kelly Osbourne, pictured with dad Ozzy in 2020, has been accused of using Ozempic[/caption]
The mum-of-one denies rumours and credits her weight loss to cutting out carbs and sugar[/caption]
Sharon and rocker Ozzy’s daughter Kelly became the subject of speculation after pictures surfaced showing her looking slimmer than ever.
The mum-of-one, 40, openly discussed her impressive 85 pound postpartum weight loss in the past, but stands adamant that she did not use Ozempic to get there.
“I just have to clarify, I’ve never taken Ozempic,” she told People in response to rumours in spring last year.
“I don’t know what Ozempic does to you, other than what I saw it do to my mum.
“I think it is a miracle drug when used appropriately.”
Kelly said her rapid weight loss was achieved through cutting out sugar and carbohydrates and not through Hollywood’s beloved injection.
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
Weight loss jabs are a hot media topic at the moment, with hundreds of success stories from people who shed the pounds.
In March 2023, the NHS announced it would make Wegovy, a drug made by Danish firm Novo Nordisk, available on prescription to thousands of obese Brits.
It contains the drug semaglutide, which is said to have helped reality star Kim Kardashian and X boss Elon Musk lose weight.
Wegovy, which helped a third of people reduce their weight by 20 per cent in trials, is now available from pharmacies like Boots.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less and therefore lose weight.
To do this, semaglutide mimics the role of a natural hormone, called GLP-1.
GLP-1 is part of the signalling pathway that tells your body you have eaten, and prepares it to use the energy that comes from your food.
London GP and founder of wellgoodwellbeing.com, Dr Zoe Watson, said: “Your body naturally produces an appetite regulating hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1.
“These jabs work by regulating your appetite, which can lead to eating fewer calories and losing weight.”
Aren’t they diabetes drugs?
Semaglutide, the active drug in Wegovy, was originally sold under the name Ozempic specifically for diabetes patients.
But people started noticing it helped suppress their appetites, stopping them eating as much and helping them shed the pounds.
Novo Nordisk then developed Wegovy, which contains the same chemical but at higher doses specifically to aid weight loss.
Wegovy is not prescribed for diabetes patients.
Can I get them?
Wegovy is offered on prescription to obese adults given specialist weight loss treatment.
The NHS currently also offers a similar drug called Saxenda, or liraglutide.
Both are only available throught specialist weight management services, which means you have to be referred to clinics led by experts.
GPs can’t prescribe them on their own, Dr Watson said.
The jabs have to be taken as part of an overall programme to help with lifestyle changes and psychological support to get the best effect from the medication prescribed.
Are there any risks?
Like all medicines, the jabs do not come without side effects.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
What other options are there?
Mounjaro (brand name for tirzepatide) also came onto the market in early 2024.
Like Wegovy, tirzepatide stems from a drug originally designed to treat diabetes.
The weekly injection helped overweight people drop more than two stone in 18 months.
It is available to order with a prescription online from pharmacies including Superdrug and LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor.
It works in a similar way to Wegovy and Saxenda, but is more effective.
Dr Mitra Dutt from LloydsPharmacy says: “Based on clinical trials, 96 per cent of people were able to lose more than five per cent of their body fat using Mounjaro. In similar trials, 84 per cent of people lost more than five per cent of their body weight on Wegovy, and 60 per cent on Saxenda.
“Mounjaro works by activating two hormonal receptors (GIP and GLP-1), which enhance insulin production, improve insulin sensitivity, and work to decrease food intake.”
