By Monique Friedlander for Daily Mail Australia
23:19 30 April 2023, update 00:07 01 May 2023
Slimming radio presenter Jackie ‘O’ Henderson has shut down rumors that she is taking the much-requested diabetes drug used by Hollywood stars to lose weight.
The 48-year-old, who had previously struggled with yo-yo dieting for decades, lost 40 pounds in just five months, suggesting she’s taking Ozempic.
But she clarified on Monday that her weight loss was done the old-fashioned way: following a low-calorie diet, exercising regularly and cutting out alcohol.
His co-host Kyle Sandilands revealed he was asked by several guests at his wedding to Tegan Kynaston on Saturday if Jackie – who is an ambassador for Weight Watchers – had been prescribed Ozempic to help shed the pounds..
“That diabetes medicine that people talk about taking, I don’t take it,” Jackie replied.
‘Honestly, you guys can do it…but I’ll say, I think [cutting out] booze and exercise were a big thing. I have never done [that] before, so that was kind of the kicker for me,” she added.
Kyle noted that Jackie wasn’t “big on needles,” so would never be comfortable injecting diabetes medication to lose weight.
He went on to say that his results came from following Weight Watchers, “putting away the wine bottle” and giving up “cookies and cheese”..
Jackie, who recently started playing tennis regularly, added that quitting alcohol and exercising was a big thing [she’d] never done before”.
The mother of one also confirmed that she didn’t even drink alcohol at Kyle’s wedding.
The diabetes drug semaglutide, marketed as Ozempic or Wegovy, gained popularity among Hollywood’s elite after becoming the first drug proven to help with weight loss.
The drugs act like a hormone in the brain, making people feel less hungry and slowing the passage of food from the stomach.
Celebrities like Elon Musk, Chelsea Handler and Remi Bader have all admitted to using diabetes medication to shed unwanted fat.
It comes after Jackie recently reflected on her weight loss journey in an emotional social media post.
“Last year I joined WW again because I wanted to get my health back in order and I know their program is working for me,” she wrote.
“Losing weight was never about what I looked like in the mirror, it was more about an overall feeling of well-being and trying to get my energy levels back,” she continued.
“Five months ago, I was 18 kilos heavier and I had no energy. My health was suffering, so I decided to change my lifestyle completely.
Jackie also recently opened up about her new diet on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, revealing that she often skips breakfast, a practice known as intermittent fasting.
She also avoids carbs and satiates her hunger throughout the day by munching on pre-cut pieces of steak.
“I cook a steak and slice it, then I’ll just have a small piece of steak if I’m hungry,” Jackie said.
She resists splurging on high-calorie foods for lunch, opting to eat only “three small pieces of steak” and a few rolls of Vietnamese rice paper containing fish and cabbage.
Kyle was shocked at her small portion size, telling her, “A dog would eat more!”
For dinner, Jackie usually eats vegetables and a protein like chicken or red meat.
Between meals, Jackie feasts on smoothies and Starbucks Frappuccinos, a type of iced coffee drink.
Jackie didn’t always follow such a restrictive diet.
In February, she said women’s day she used to gorge on pizzas, sausage rolls and microwave meals from the gas station before she took control of her health.
“I ate a lot of food that I could get quickly. You know, pizzas and sandwiches and just takeout, I wasn’t cooking myself,” she said.
“And I think it’s always better when you know what you’re putting into your body. I got really lazy.