CELEBRITIES in pursuit of the “perfect” body are using fat-busting jabs to shed pounds.
But the injections, linked to a string of troubling side effects, have become a big issue.
Fans were horrified by Dirrty singer Christina Aguilera’s dramatic weight loss, with many speculating it could be down to Ozempic injections.
The 43-year-old, who looked slimmer than ever in a skin-tight bodysuit, has not commented on the rumours.
But lots of famous faces ARE using the likes of Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro to curb their cravings. And I’m A Celebrity contestants already on the meds will be allowed to keep taking them in the jungle.
Common side effects include nausea, diarrhoea, dehydration, blurred vision, depression and dizziness.
MORE ON CHRISTINA AGUILERA
Nadia Cohen looks at other stars who have controlled their appetite with diet drugs – and considers whether they have gone too far.
Oprah Winfrey
SHE publicly battled with her weight for decades, but chat show queen Oprah, 70, insisted using fat-fighting jabs would be the easy way out.
Now, having shifted almost 3st, she admits she has been using a weight-loss drug, which felt like “a gift”, though she has not confirmed which one.
She said: “The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like . . . a gift, and not something to hide behind. I’m done with the shaming from other people and myself.”
Rebel Wilson
ACTRESS Rebel, 44, made a career out of being a bigger girl, playing Fat Amy in the Pitch Perfect films.
But in her memoir, Rebel Rising, she said food helped her cope with an abusive relationship with her dad, adding: “I wasn’t dealing with my emotions properly, I was just stuffing my face.”
After shedding 80 pounds through healthy eating and exercise, Rebel then used Ozempic to maintain her shape.
She said: “Someone like me could have a bottomless appetite for sweets. So I think those drugs can be good.”
Sharon Osbourne
SHE may have lost 3st, but Sharon said Ozempic took its toll on her body.
Issuing a stark warning, the former X Factor judge, 71, told Piers Morgan last year: “At first, you feel nauseous. You don’t throw up, but you’ve got that feeling. 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.”
She worryingly added in another interview: “I couldn’t stop losing weight, and now I’ve lost 42 pounds, and I can’t afford to lose any more.”
Kelly Osbourne
KELLY, 39, says she is a fan of Ozempic – after meeting someone who believed that it had “changed their life”.
“They explained to me how it took the mental obsession with food away and allowed them to dig deeper . . . and how life-changing it was,” Kelly said.
“It completely changed my opinion on it. If there’s a medication out there that can help people lose weight, then what’s so bad about it?”
Kelly, who lost 85lb after having son Sidney in 2022, has denied using the drug herself.
Jessica Simpson
JESSICA revealed in her memoir Open Book that she took diet pills early in her career.
But she shot down accusations last year that she was using Ozempic, saying: “Oh Lord. I mean, it is not. It is willpower.”
The singer and reality star, 44, dropped 100lb following the birth of her third child Birdie Mae in 2019 through diet, exercise and quitting booze.
And she ignores widespread speculation about her fluctuating weight, saying: “I am fortunate to have been every size.”
Meds need supervision
“POTENT” diet drug Ozempic should only be taken under strict supervision, according to Europe’s top expert on obesity and weight loss.
Professor Jason Halford, from the University of Leeds, says: “Ozempic is the most powerful drug we’ve seen so far. It also comes with some quite serious side effects.
“The problem is, many people use social media as a source of information rather than their care practitioner. This is not something which should be done without close medical supervision.”