Oprah Winfrey reflected on turning 70 and how her “number one concern” is her health in her later years in a candid new interview.
The presenting icon, who reached the milestone in January, said he is “not living in fear of death” but is instead focusing on a healthy lifestyle, months after revealing his use of weight loss drugs to lose over 40 pounds.
speaking to People As part of her star-studded 50th anniversary issue, Winfrey said, “For everyone approaching this stage in their life, their primary concern is their health.” I do not live in fear of death, but I live with the conscious recognition that it is possible at any moment…
‘I would say that one of the reasons I can now sit in wisdom, and literally sit in wisdom and make no apologies for it, is because I have paid attention and I am truly fully aware. I’ve been paying attention for a long time.
He added that “gratitude is really my religion” and that his outlook on life hasn’t changed.
Oprah Winfrey reflected on turning 70 and how her ‘number one concern’ is her health in her later years in a candid new interview (pictured from January 2024).
The iconic presenter, who reached the milestone in January, said he is “not living in fear of death” but instead focusing on a healthy lifestyle, months after revealing he used weight loss medication to lose more than 40 pounds . In the photo from 1988. (left) and 1992 (right)
She said: ‘When you are grateful for what you have, you end up seeing that you have more than you imagine. Start with her breathing and recognize the absolute miracle of keeping your heart beating. That’s a revelation to me every day. “I’m grateful for everything.”
Last month, Winfrey opened up about her battle with obesity and how food took over her life during her weight loss special, but viewers flocked to the internet to criticize her for “promoting” medication.
Speaking on An Oprah Special: Shame, Guilt and the Weight Loss Revolution, the star fought back tears as she revealed how drugs had meant she was no longer “constantly thinking about what the next meal is going to be.”
He said that ‘for 25 years making fun of my weight was a national sport’ and that over the years he had ‘lost weight’ and ‘recovered’ but since he started taking medication he had stopped becoming ‘obsessed’ with food. .
Along with messages of support online, some viewers criticized Oprah, accusing her of “promoting Big Pharma and pressuring Ozempic” and criticizing her for taking those medications after spending nine years promoting Weight Watchers.
The show was launched days after Oprah resigned from her position on the Weight Watchers board of directors, citing a potential “conflict of interest” with the show, which heavily featured weight-loss drug brands.
During the show, Oprah responded to people who she said wanted to “shame” her for her weight and taking drugs.
Speaking to People magazine, Winfrey said: “For everyone approaching this stage of their life, their main concern is their health.” I don’t live in fear of death, but I live with the conscious recognition that it is possible at any moment… (pictured last month)
She said, “I come to this conversation hoping that we can begin to free ourselves from stigma, shame and judgment… to stop shaming other people for being overweight or how they chose to lose weight and keep it off.”
He added: “All these years, I thought that all the people who never had to diet were just using their willpower and that, for some reason, they were stronger than me.
But now I realize they weren’t even thinking about food. It’s not that you had willpower. You weren’t even thinking about that. You weren’t obsessed with it.
Now, he said: ‘I use it as a tool, combined with walking three or five miles a day or running. “It’s not just one thing, it’s several things for me.”
Oprah has visibly lost weight in recent months, having lost more than 40 pounds with the help of weight-loss medication.
Rumors that he was taking Ozempic began circulating last year, until he admitted that he had started taking an unnamed weight loss drug in December.
She said in the special: “The first thing I hope people get out of it is knowing that [obesity] It is a disease and it is in the brain.
In December, the television mogul confessed to using the drug as a “tool” to stop her weight problems.
At that moment, she told him People: “Now I use it when I feel I need it, as a tool to avoid yo-yoing,” but he didn’t mention the medication he uses.
She said: ‘When you are grateful for what you have, you end up seeing that you have more than you imagine. Start with her breathing and recognize the absolute miracle of keeping your heart beating. That’s a revelation to me every day (seen in 1990)
“The fact that there is a medically approved prescription to control my weight and stay healthier throughout my life seems like a relief, a redemption, a gift, and not something to hide from and be ridiculed for once again.”
“I am absolutely sick of shaming other people and particularly myself,” adding that she had actively recommended weight loss help to others before deciding to take it herself.
Throughout decades of her stardom, Oprah has been honest with her fans about the various steps she has taken to lose weight.
Last year she was dogged by rumors that she was taking Ozempic, the diabetes drug that has become a Hollywood fad among those trying to lose weight.
As speculation mounted, Oprah finally confessed that she had given in and started taking weight-loss medication, after previously feeling like she had to rely on her own “willpower” to achieve the figure she wanted.
“It’s a very personal topic for me,” Oprah said in a press release cited by BET: ‘and for the hundreds of millions of affected people around the world who have struggled with weight and obesity for years.’
When she underwent knee surgery in 2021, her physical rehabilitation helped her develop a series of healthy habits that helped her burn fat.
Oprah weighed 237 pounds (107.5 kg) at her heaviest, she previously revealed.
He said undergoing knee surgery in 2021 began a journey to improve his health and live a “more vital and vibrant life.”
The streaming icon said she now eats her last meal at 4 p.m., drinks a gallon of water a day and uses Weight Watchers principles for counting points, along with regular walks.
She added that her fitness and health routine are key to maintaining her weight loss, saying, “It’s everything.” I know everyone thought I was in on this, but I worked really hard. I know that if I don’t exercise and I’m not paying attention to all the other things, it doesn’t work for me.’
She said: “I was aware of [weight-loss] medications, but I felt like I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. “Now I don’t feel that way anymore.”