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RHOSLC’s Heather Gay Admits She Felt ‘Pressure’ to Take Ozempic: ‘Disappointing and Sad’
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Heather Gay opened up about why she regrets taking Ozempic for weight loss.
While reflecting on her decision to take the diabetes medication, Heather, 49, said she felt like she “sold out” amid her weight loss journey. The Bravo star told ABC News on March 1 that she had “given up the banner” of being a “relatable” person when it comes to body image.
“It’s disappointing and sad to know that body positivity was all a big lie,” Heather said while discussing the reactions she received for taking the drug. “Because it’s better to not be overweight.”
She then explained that she felt “pressure” to take the drug and believed it was her “last hope” to lose weight. “I didn’t wanna show up at another party and see all of my friends 20 pounds thinner and just be resentful,” Heather recalled.
The TV personality explained that she lost nearly 30 pounds since she started taking the drug meant for people with type 2 diabetes several months ago, adding that having a thinner frame meant that she “started to feel seen for the first time” and many of her peers complimented her weight loss.
“Even after being on television, writing a New York Times bestselling book, for the first time, I was being valued — by my castmates, by the public — in a way that I had never been valued before,” Heather continued. “And that felt, to me, sad.”
Not only did Heather say that taking Ozempic changed the way she viewed her body, but the experience also influenced how she talks to her daughters – Annabelle, Ashley and Georgia – about body image.
“I want them to feel empowered,” she said, adding that it’s a “very nuanced razor’s-edge” to raise young girls. “Because I don’t want to lie to them and say, ‘It doesn’t matter. What matters is on the inside.’ But it does matter. I don’t know why that’s the way it is in the world, but that has been my experience.”
Heather previously opened up about her decision to take Ozempic while speaking to People in November 2023. “I’ve been on it for a long time, but hadn’t really seen much results. And I haven’t had massive results, but enough for people to notice, which is great,” she said at the time.
After noting that she had lost five pounds, Heather admitted it was “discouraging” that people were “nicer” to her due to changing size. “I don’t know why. It’s just the way the world works and that makes me sad for women,” the Salt Lake City, Utah, native said. “But happy that I’m down five.”
