Sandra Lee hits back at plastic surgery rumors sparked by ‘gaining 30lbs’ after admitting Ozempic ‘didn’t work’ for her

Former Food Network star Sandra Lee emphatically denies that her youthful appearance is the result of “a lot of plastic surgery,” and claims that Ozempic “didn’t work for her” because she is “allergic” to the popular weight-loss drug.

In April, the 58-year-old TV chef and author admitted she was “as sick as can be” after taking slimming injections to lose weight. She said she had lost 10 pounds but ended up “being in bed for a week” because she felt so awful.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Sandra revealed: ‘I’m allergic to Ozempic, clearly! It didn’t work!’ before opening up about how her body has changed since she first appeared on television in the early ’90s.

‘When I was younger, someone would say something like, “You’re too skinny to be a chef.” I felt like I wanted to say, “Am I too tall?” because I’m 5’9″. But now that I’ve gained some weight [in my face] a lot of people think I’ve had a lot of plastic surgery. That’s not true, I’ve just gained 30 pounds since they saw me on Food Network.’

Sandra first gained recognition more than 30 years ago when the home shopping network QVC hired her as an on-air talent. Her television show, Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, premiered on the Food Network in 2003.

Sandra, pictured here on September 9, joked that she is “allergic” to Ozempic and says the drug “didn’t work” for her

Asked if she feels pressured to look a certain way because she’s on TV, the glamorous blonde – who turned 58 in July – said: “There’s a reason we all wash our faces, put on lotion and makeup, I don’t think any of us are going to give in without a fight. I’m in the Cher camp – do whatever feels right to you!”

Sandra spoke about her experiences with weight loss injections in an April interview with Fox News. She said, “I tried them the other day and one of them put me in bed for a whole week.

“I lost 10 pounds, but I was sick as sick could be. And so, I don’t know, for everybody, it’s what their body can handle and tolerate. That wasn’t it for me.”

She also admitted to gaining 10 pounds while filming her new series, Blue Ribbon Baking Championship, which hits Netflix on August 9.

The idea of ​​the series is to find the best bakers from state fairs across the US and have them compete for the ultimate ribbon and $100,000.

“We had to eat everything, we had to taste absolutely everything,” Sandra said Page Six earlier this month.

“It was four weeks of a sugar high. And it’s not just tasting the dessert. You have to break it down and taste the cakes separately or the crust separately, as opposed to the filling or the frosting.”

“And sometimes you have to eat more than one serving. I easily gained 10 pounds,” she added.

The blonde star admitted she gained 10 pounds while filming the Netflix series Blue Ribbon Baking Championship with fellow judges Bill Yossis (left) and Bryan Ford

Sandra hosts the TV show with American Pie star Jason Biggs and is also an executive producer

Hosted by American Pie actor Jason Biggs, Blue Ribbon Baking Championship has been a hit with Netflix users. Sandra admitted to DailyMail.com that she knew it would be a hit even before the first episode aired.

“When 45 percent of a country’s population attends something every year, whether it’s a state, provincial or local fair, it can’t help but work if you bring it to life on television,” she said.

She then said, “By the way, I hosted the Blue Ribbon Baking Championship on Food Network years ago, and they didn’t believe it and I was like, ‘Are you kidding?’

“It was crazy, I was the most popular show on that network at the time, and I just couldn’t believe it!”

Besides finally being able to bring her TV show to life on the small screen, Sandra is also an ambassador for QVC’s Era of Possibilities platform, on which she, together with Queen Latifah, Rita Wilson and Martha Stewart, among others, stands up for women over 50.

The TV star, pictured here in 2003, said people used to tell her she was ‘too thin to be a chef’

Sandra admitted that at 58 she is ‘proud’ of herself and is happy with the life she has ‘created’

Speaking about getting older, she said: ‘I think what happens when you get to 50 is you realise – if you’re lucky – that you’re halfway there, or even further. Your body changes and you have to pay attention to all those things.

‘But in your twenties and thirties you build your own family, in your forties you still enjoy yourself and start putting money aside for the future, but in those decades you are also saving.

‘You collect your ideal, you collect your morals, you collect your things, you collect your family, you collect yourself. And I think by the time you’re 50, you realize that you’ve got your collection in order and you love it because it’s you.

“You’ve got your stuff and you’ve got most of your people, and you know where you’re going and who you are because you built it. Now, if you don’t like it, you can rebuild it, you still have time, which is a beautiful thing.

“But for the most part, I literally lay in bed last night and thought, ‘I like my stuff, I like my life, I like what I’ve created, and I’m proud of myself.’ And I think that’s what really happens, and I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone say that before.”