Celebrity4 min(s) read
Published 15:41 26 Jul 2026 GMT
Rosie O'Donnell has credited one drug for "saving" her life after opening up about childhood trauma.
In a recent interview with PEOPLE, the 64-year-old described Mounjaro as a "miracle drug" after losing around 60 pounds since starting the medication three years ago following a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
"I've had trouble with my weight my whole life," O'Donnell said.
While the weight loss has been significant, she said the biggest change has been how the drug "quieted the food noise," describing it as life-changing.
The former talk show host said she wanted to be open about taking the medication despite some people feeling uncomfortable discussing weight-loss drugs.
"I know some people are ashamed to talk about it, but I wanted to share how it helped me, and I don't like secrets as a whole," she said.
O'Donnell said she has steadily lost "a pound or two a month for three years".
"So Mounjaro saved my life," she said. "I’ve lost a pound or two a month for three years. I really wish I could do commercials for Mounjaro and they would drop the price instead of paying me."
"Because when I see people struggling with obesity, I want to say I know the shame that we carry and the humiliation that is dealt to people who are overweight."
The comedian traced her struggles with weight back to 1973, when her mother, Roseann O'Donnell, died.
"When my mom died, all of us children gained weight," she recalled.
She explained that her father would give the children money to shop for the family's groceries while they were still very young.
"My father would give us a one hundred dollar bill, and we would go to Foodtown to do the food shopping. Now if you're 11-years-old and you're shopping for a family of five, there's nothing nutritious about it," she said.
"It was Entenmann's and Cap'n Crunch and we would always say, 'Subtotal please,' and when it got near one hundred, we'd put back the chicken and the hamburger meat."
She added: "Everyone got heavy. Everyone was in such grief and trauma."
O'Donnell also reflected on the pressure she felt throughout her years in television, revealing she often worried more about how she looked than her performances.
"When I would do late night, my biggest concern wasn't my set, it was, did I look fat?" she said.
Recalling one of her earliest television appearances, she continued: "The first time I did a talk show, it was Pat Sajak and people were saying 'You were so good,' and I'd go, 'How did I look in that blazer?' I wasn't even heavy then."
Today, she says the weight she has lost has transformed how she feels physically.
"I feel much healthier and more powerful in my physicality," she added.
O'Donnell was candid about recently undergoing a facelift after previously believing she would never have cosmetic surgery.
She confessed she once had a "moral" objection to facelifts and considered herself "head of all women who would never" have one.
However, after losing weight with Mounjaro, she said the changes to her face became hard to ignore.
She described the excess skin caused by weight loss as looking like she was "melting with intention".
Initially, she tried embracing the changes, telling herself her appearance was "natural" and "earned."
But then she reached "a point where acceptance starts to feel like lying".
O'Donnell isn't the only celebrity to speak publicly about GLP-1 medications.
In June, actress Mayim Bialik revealed she experienced severe side effects while taking a GLP-1 drug, including "explosive, uncontrollable diarrhea," "sneezing attacks," cramping, bloating and "full-body aching".
Meanwhile, actress Jenny Mollen said she experienced heavy bleeding while "microdosing" a GLP-1 medication alongside other peptides.
She recalled "hemorrhaging" before fainting several times and being taken to hospital, although she later said she wasn't certain the medication itself was entirely responsible.
"I don't know if it was the GLP-1 necessarily," Mollen explained. "I think it was because I think it was messing with my hormones a little bit. I think had I stayed on it I would have been fine. But getting off it and then back on it is what screwed me."
4 min(s) read
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celebrity2 min(s) read
Published 15:01 25 May 2025 GMT
health4 min(s) read
health3 min(s) read
health3 min(s) read
Rosie O’Donnell is feeling the effects of her health transformation — and she’s not shy about showing it.
The 63-year-old comedian and actress stunned fans with a new photo posted to Instagram on May 23, revealing her slimmed-down figure onstage.
Dressed in dark pants and a light green sweater, O'Donnell stood with a mic and stand in hand, sharing the snapshot with a powerful caption: “I can't believe this is me now.” She also tagged it with “#mounjaro,” “#weightloss,” and “#bodydismorphia.”
O’Donnell has been candid about her ongoing journey with weight and health. Back in January 2023, she revealed that her doctor had prescribed her Mounjaro, a medication for type 2 diabetes and weight loss, along with Repatha. At the time, she said in a TikTok video, “One I do every other week and one I do once a week.”
Since then, she’s credited the medication — and major lifestyle changes — for helping her slim down.
“I’ve lost more weight. I am on Mounjaro for my diabetes and one of the side effects is you lose weight,” she shared in a TikTok video earlier this year. “But it’s also because I had a chef for over two years in Los Angeles and I don't have a chef now. It's me cooking for Clay and me.”
Now living in Ireland with her 12-year-old child, Clay, O’Donnell said she’s adjusted to a different routine, which includes healthier eating and being more active. She’s also made a conscious effort to reduce sugar and stay hydrated.
“My appetite has decreased significantly. It's probably the meds. And I'm trying to move more. So, all those things combined, that's what it is,” she previously explained.
The transformation has left even Rosie herself surprised. After decades of struggling with weight, the former View co-host shared, “I'm one of those people who always had a weight issue and now that I'm a size large — instead of an XL or a XXL — I find it shocking. I really do. I find it completely shocking.”
She’s also had to shop for new clothes to fit her new size, which she did recently in Dublin.
O’Donnell’s public weight loss comes as other high-profile figures, including Meghan Trainor and Elon Musk, have spoken about using medications like Mounjaro for similar goals. But for Rosie, the journey seems deeply personal — and filled with reflection.
Published 13:08 19 Jun 2025 GMT
Published 15:33 14 Jul 2025 GMT
A woman has opened up about her experience with the weight-loss drug Mounjaro - including the horrible side-effect that made her want to quit taking it altogether.
Initially created to help people with diabetes control their blood sugar levels, GLP-1 drugs such a Mounjaro, Ozempic, and Wegovy, have exploded in use in recent months due to their weight-loss effects.
The weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1) injections help people feel fuller by mimicking a natural hormone released after eating and suppressing the appetite.
However, they're not a quick fix and should only be used when medically indicated - and can come with a host of side-effects, too.
Kelly, who is from the UK, has been sharing her journey with Mounjaro and is currently on a 10mg weekly dose.
She revealed that it had "stopped working" to suppress her appetite, but had made everything taste awful instead.
Sharing a clip of the many things she tried to eat and drink to stave off the hunger, she told her followers: "I feel like this is the side of Mounjaro people don’t see!
"I’m starving but don’t fancy anything!! It is such a struggle! I might actually come off Mounjaro at this point!"
She revealed that she'd started the day with peppermint tea to soothe her stomach from the spicy chicken she'd eaten the night before, and that her lunch of spaghetti bolognese leftover from the week before was the "first thing in days [she'd] actually enjoyed."
Kelly also bought a tray of sushi, Peperami, and an iced coffee, adding: "Had no protein so I felt starving. I thought I made good choices getting this... I've never had sushi before."
She then filmed herself almost gagging as she tried to swallow the sushi, before confirming: "Yeah, it's not for me!"
She then attempted a protein bar and some strawberries, telling her followers: "This was also disgusting and I was just so over it all."
Kelly then added in the comments: "I don’t think people understand my situation, I don’t have suppression, I’m not not eating food because of my dose, the Mounjaro has changed my taste buds.
"I AM HUNGRY and I am able to eat how I used to - I just have different tastes now but I can stomach anything. Nobody understands."
Others also shared their experiences in the comments, writing: "I can’t eat eggs, dairy, meat and fried foods now!!", and: "I feel this!!! 7.5mg - I can be eating my fav meal and all of a sudden it’ll be the worse meal I’ve ever had and I have to stop. Like texture/smell that wouldn’t have bothered me before sends me sick. I loved Lurpak and just the smell of it turns my stomach."
Another added: "Everything tastes so ordinary now," while someone else wrote: "GPL-1 (sic) have also changed my taste buds. I’ve thrown away so much food because they taste slimy or just plain disgusting. Can’t even drink soda like I used to (which is a good thing but still)."
That's not the only issue GLP-1 injections can cause, however, as a nurse called Charlene has revealed another unpleasant side-effect people should be aware of.
She warned that people often experience sulfur burps - which are just as gross as they sound.
Charlene explained: "Basically, with a GLP-1 medication, it slows your digestion. So when your digestion is slowed, food that you consumed is sitting in your stomach for a bit longer, and sometimes that can produce gases, and they have to come up.
"So you end up burping gases from old food and it can be quite nasty and smell quite eggy, not very nice."
She recommended carrying some heartburn medication and some strong mints, as she revealed from personal experience that the sulfur burps tend to last "a day or two" after her injection.
Charlene also recommended finding out which foods trigger your sulfur burps, as heavier foods can seemingly worsen her symptoms, and eating more slowly and chewing your food thoroughly can also help prevent them.
Sitting upright for "at least half an hour to an hour" after eating, staying well hydrated, and going for a walk can also help food move through the digestive tract more efficiently.
Published 14:33 15 Jul 2025 GMT
A woman who lost six stone (84lbs) in weight has opened up about the things she wished she knew before starting on Mounjaro.
GLP-1 drugs such a Mounjaro, Ozempic, and Wegovy, have exploded in use in recent months after initially being created to help people with diabetes control their blood sugar levels.
The weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1) injections can also help with weight loss, by helping people feel fuller by mimicking a natural hormone released after eating.
However, they're not a quick fix and should only be used when medically indicated, alongside a healthy diet and exercise regime.
Lucy Davies has been charting her journey with Mounjaro since September 2024, and has shed an impressive six stone (84lbs) since then (as of July 2025).
She opened up about the advice she would give others, that she wishes she'd known before starting the medication.
Lucy revealed that she wishes she knew not to have any fizzy drinks as "it will give you the worst indigestion and make you feel sick."
She also added: "Peppermint tea is your best friend. It helps with nausea and to settle the stomach."
Lucy revealed that she found it better to have three liters of water a day rather than two, explaining: "More water, less side effects."
Lastly, she told others: "Calorie count from the beginning to ensure you eat enough calories for your body to function."
As Mounjaro and similar drugs change the way the body digests food, side efects like nausea, diarrhea, and heartburn are common, according to WebMD.
Peppermint tea is a common home remedy to soothe gastrointestinal issues, per Healthline, as it can relax muscles in the digestive tract as well as ease nausea.
Drinking enough water is also key when using GLP-1 medication as dehydration can increase the likelihood of other side effects.
A nurse called Charlene has revealed another unpleasant side-effect people should be aware of.
She warned that people often experience sulfur burps - which are just as gross as they sound.
Charlene explained: "Basically, with a GLP-1 medication, it slows your digestion. So when your digestion is slowed, food that you consumed is sitting in your stomach for a bit longer, and sometimes that can produce gases, and they have to come up.
"So you end up burping gases from old food and it can be quite nasty and smell quite eggy, not very nice."
She recommended carrying some heartburn medication and some strong mints, as she revealed from personal experience that the sulfur burps tend to last "a day or two" after her injection.
Charlene also recommended finding out which foods trigger your sulfur burps, as heavier foods can seemingly worsen her symptoms, and eating more slowly and chewing your food thoroughly can also help prevent them.
Sitting upright for "at least half an hour to an hour" after eating, staying well hydrated, and going for a walk can also help food move through the digestive tract more efficiently.
Published 15:23 28 Apr 2026 GMT
A woman described by her doctor as obese began taking weight loss drugs that led to the scariest moment of her life while on a cruise holiday.
Lynn Carratt, 44, was diagnosed with fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome, which can cause high blood pressure and high blood sugar, all leading to cardiovascular issues further down the line.
The mother-of-one decided that using the GLP-1 drug Mounjaro was a good idea to help her lose some weight and deter further health issues.
However, things quickly became dangerous when, on a cruise holiday with her husband and young daughter, Caratt began getting pain in her lower abdomen.
She told the Daily Mail that initially she thought nothing of the pain that started after she switched to a lower dose of Mounjaro, as she thought it could be a symptom of her irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Carratt said: "Having continued to ignore the niggling discomfort, we were a week into our three-week trip when I woke in the night in so much pain, in my chest and abdomen, I thought I was having a heart attack.
"Clutching my torso, I told my husband there must be something seriously wrong and that I was going to get checked out at the medical centre.
"The doctor examined me and, hearing my screams when she pressed my abdomen, said: ‘Oh, I think you’ve got an inflamed gallbladder.'"
Obviously, the mom was concerned about the consequences of an inflamed gallbladder, which can prove fatal if it ruptures, but she managed to get pain relief from the doctor on board the ship.
However, upon her return to the UK, she discovered that while the medication had eased her symptoms, the walls of her gallbladder were still larger than expected.
Carratt explained: "My consultant told me that, while he couldn’t say with absolute certainty, he thinks it’s ‘likely’ taking Mounjaro caused my gallbladder to become inflamed."
She opted against having surgery as the MRI scan gave her a positive update, although it may be necessary in the future.
A spokesman for Eli Lilly, the producers of Mounjaro, said: "Patient safety is Lilly’s top priority and we actively monitor, evaluate, and report safety information for all our medicines to the MHRA.
“The Mounjaro (tirzepatide) Patient Information Leaflet warns that cholecystitis (infection of the gallbladder) is an uncommon side effect, which may affect up to one in 100 people.
"Anyone experiencing side effects when taking any Lilly medicine should consult their doctor or other healthcare professional, and should ensure that they are getting genuine Lilly medicine."
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