I’m a celebrity on Ozempic. Here are the secrets about the controversial weight-loss jabs you won’t hear from anyone else

Ozempic: It’s a word that few people would have heard of a year ago, but is now openly discussed at office water coolers, dinner parties, and mom groups.

Officially it is a treatment for type 2 diabetes. But doctors are increasingly prescribing it ‘off label’ because of its weight loss effect.

Not since Viagra’s inception in the late 1990s has a pharmaceutical drug entered our cultural lexicon so quickly. Barely a day goes by without a celebrity or high-profile figure admitting to using it – or being accused of doing so surreptitiously.

But what is it really like to take Ozempic when your life is in the spotlight?

Here, a brave celebrity, who spoke on condition of anonymity, shares her story with unflinching honesty. You’ve probably heard of her: she’s been a TV personality for decades and lives both here and in the US

She hopes that, after reading her report, the general public will not be so quick to roll their eyes when a star returns to the spotlight and is 20 kg lighter than a few months before…

A disclaimer: Ozempic is only approved for the treatment of diabetes in Australia. Although some doctors may prescribe it for weight loss after a thorough assessment of their patient’s needs, Daily Mail Australia does not endorse its use for this purpose. You should always seek advice from a medical professional.

I’ve battled with my weight all my life, but being in the public eye has made every extra pound all the more humiliating. My worst moment was when I was told about ten years ago that even though I was expected to attend red carpet events, designers had refused to dress me. Outright refused. They said I was ‘too big’.

I could give you a number of examples of snide comments made about my figure, but this one hurt the most.

I tried as best I could to avoid being ‘showbiz fat’, always smiling, waving and trying to look as if I had nothing in the world to worry about, but every public outing was an ordeal.

Social media was still in its infancy at the time, so at least I didn’t have trolls constantly commenting on my size. But nevertheless, the pressure to look good was relentless.

At the time, I looked good – I was in my 30s and attractive – but I was already struggling to control my weight. As a result, I developed unhealthy eating habits that I still can’t escape to this day.

The lightest I ever got was 70 kg (11st or 154 lbs). But to achieve that, I practically starved myself. I haven’t eaten; then I couldn’t eat.

I became this version of myself that I didn’t recognize – a doll-like figure that was somehow still not thin enough in the eyes of my industry, even though the average Australian weighs 71.8kg (11.3 or 158 lbs).

Then when I see pictures of myself, I know I’m looking at someone who was slimmer than ever before. But all I can think is, “She’s fat.”

I was hungry. I look back on it now and can’t believe how unhealthy I was. But all that mattered to me was trying to live up to the impossible beauty standards of showbiz.

When you saw me on primetime TV, I was barely eating. I trained until I was exhausted. Yet the weight still wouldn’t come off.

I was as thin as I could be – and it was destroying my body.

Then I knew something was wrong.

So I tried to live like a normal person – and of course I gained weight. The public criticism that accompanied this was unbearable – and that’s putting it lightly.

One time I was in Sydney and some guys driving by threw a milkshake at me from the window and called me a ‘fat pig’.

I have no idea if they even knew who I was. Maybe those men would have shamed any woman for her size, regardless of whether she was famous.

Can you imagine how horrifying it is to be so publicly shamed? Now imagine what it feels like to have that moment caught on camera and splashed across the tabloids. Terrified.

I have been photographed on the beach and literally branded onto the page with a stamp that tells readers that my body is something to be ashamed of.

Even after my public profile dimmed, the sick feeling in my stomach never really went away. It took a huge toll on my mental health.

So when I heard about Ozempic, I saw it as a lifeline. The year was 2023 and the drug, which started as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, was starting to gain recognition for its impact on weight loss. Some doctors began prescribing it to combat obesity.

I was prescribed it by a private doctor, recommended by a friend, and started injecting myself weekly later that year.

Every week was different. In the beginning, there were days when I felt so nauseous that I thought I was going to die. Sometimes the thought of food made me throw up. But other times I would feel completely okay.

Even when I felt sick and convinced myself it wasn’t worth it, my need to be thin always won out. I told myself I wouldn’t take it next week, but next week it would happen and I would inject myself again.

At first I wasn’t sure if it worked. But over the weeks I noticed that I was consuming less food.

I was working a lot more and didn’t really think about opening the fridge and looking for food in the house.

Even though I wasn’t hungry, food was still a constant in the back of my mind. Isn’t it lunch time? What am I going to make for my son for dinner?

At my heaviest, in 2021, I tipped the scales at 130 kg (20.5 or 286 lbs). I am now a much healthier 81 kg (12.7 or 178 lbs) after taking 1ml of Ozempic every week for a year.

My goal weight, which I expect to reach but don’t have a set date for, is 71 kg (11e or 156 lbs).

Critics have dismissed Ozempic as a “quick fix” that should not replace a healthy diet and exercise. But for me it was the silver lining of my story. It has given me a sense of control that I never thought I would have.

I truly believe the drug has changed my life. It is not a trick or deception; it’s a medicine. For the first time, I feel like I am no longer a prisoner in my own body.

Ozempic has allowed me to let go of constant concerns about my size and just live.

Anyone who condemns me for taking the diet shot, but not having lived my life, has no idea what it’s like to deal with the pressure, the constant scrutiny, the humiliation.

After just a few weeks of taking Ozempic, people started noticing and complimenting me, and I finally started to feel good about myself.

Some accused me of ‘cheating’ because I didn’t do things the normal way and go to the gym, but in my head I felt like I was doing everything right. Finally I felt like I was doing something right.

I ate less, took regular walks and had much better head space.

But it wasn’t just the toxic mix of fame and weight struggles that got me here: I didn’t want to die from the serious health problems associated with obesity. I wanted to live. I wanted to feel good about myself for the first time. This medicine helped me with that.

Being overweight can push you to the edge – and it’s impossible to explain to a naturally thin person how brutally awful it can be.

But I’m grateful that I found something that helped me reclaim my life. I don’t see it as the ‘easy way’.

I deserve to be happy, healthy and whole, just like everyone else.

As told to Ali Daher