Oprah Winfrey has parted ways with Weight Watchers after revealing she uses unspecified weight loss drugs as part of her health routine.
On Wednesday, Weight Watchers confirmed that Winfrey will not stand for re-election to the company's board in May, ending her nine-year tenure at the company.
In a statement posted on the Weight Watchers website, Winfrey said, “While we remain a vocal supporter of progress, we intend to donate our shares to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.” Stated. [the] Conversations about weight management.”
“I look forward to continuing to advise and work with Weight Watchers and CEO Sima Sistani to elevate the conversation around recognizing obesity as a chronic disease, reducing stigma, and advocating for health equity. ” she said.
Thilo Semmelbauer, Weight Watchers' chairman of the board, called Winfrey an “inspirational figure and passionate advocate” for everyone at the company, adding, “What I know for sure is will greatly miss her presence on the board.”
Winfrey bought a 10% stake in Weight Watchers in 2015 and joined the company's board of directors. Since then, she has become one of the company's most prominent celebrity spokespeople, and she has appeared in many advertising campaigns. She reportedly lost 42 pounds during the program by 2017.
But in December, Winfrey admitted that after consulting with her doctor, she had started taking weight loss drugs as a “maintenance measure.”
“The fact that there is a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier feels like a relief, a relief, a gift to me while I'm still alive, hidden and ridiculed again.” “It's not like I'm going to do that,” she told People magazine. “I’m done with being shamed by others, especially myself.”
Noting that Ms. Winfrey has not disclosed which weight loss drugs she took, Weight Watchers recently evolved its program to take into account people who are taking prescription drugs as a way to lose weight. I started letting him do it.
Still, the entertainment mogul's announcement drew mixed reactions, reflecting the ongoing debate over Hollywood's embrace of Ozempic, a diabetes drug that manages blood sugar levels, for weight loss purposes.
In recent years, stars like Chelsea Handler and Sharon Osbourne have publicly used Ozempic. However, the drug's surge in popularity has reportedly caused a global shortage, leaving many people with type 2 diabetes unable to access the drug.
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