Baroness Karren Brady, 56, has finally bit the bullet and addressed chatter that she might be on Ozempic – following her jaw-dropping weightloss transformation.
The 56-year-old has been the subject of rumours that she’s taken to using weight loss jabs to shed the pounds.
But the mother-of-two has spoken out to refute any idea that she’s taken a quick fix – maintaining that her stunning new figure is the result of old-fashioned blood, sweat and tears – achieved through working out and eating healthily.
She told The Sun, slamming society’s obsession with women’s bodies: “I’m not on Ozempic, but questions about women’s weight come up far more often than they should. I’d much prefer the conversation to be focused around my work.
“Anyone can do anything they want to their own body. I have no problem with it at all. But people think they know something they don’t know, or they just presume.
“And so what if I was? And what if I wasn’t? It would be my choice. I think the way people talk about women’s bodies is certainly an effort to belittle them or make them feel insecure.”
She added that she’d had a whole lifetime of being called ” too fat, too thin and everything in between” and that her focus was just to ” feel strong, physically and mentally.’
Before now, the star – nodding to the notion that TV puts on unwanted pounds – had admitted that she would drop as much as five kilos before the launch of every Apprentice series, ‘so I look my normal weight and I don’t look huge next to Alan [Sugar] as he’s so fit and healthy.’
But Karren is no stranger to the gym either, and makes sure to find time for regular workout sessions into her busy career – as much as 3 to 4 times a week.
‘You have to find the time to go, particularly as you get older,’ she said. ‘I have a very set routine that I do, but it’s mainly cardiovascular and weights, and I don’t mind the odd swim.
‘I go three or four times a week. I never have set days, because I’ve got a full-time job, then I have to go to the House of Lords often to vote, so I fit it in where I can.’
In her homelife, the TV star is no doubt kept busy as a doting grandmother, too – her daughter, Sophie Peschisolido has two little boys – Leo, 22 months and George, just four months.
She said gushingly of her role as a granny, “I just love spending time with them. My daughter’s got her hands full, as you can imagine. But being a grandparent is a deeply rewarding role.
“Grandchildren bring an unfiltered happiness and laughter into your life. You can spoil them, treat them, pamper them.
“It’s hard work though – you do need a lot of energy, because you forget how kids don’t sit still for two minutes. You need eyes in the back of your head. It’s wonderful, though.’
Last year, Karren, who returns for the BBC One series The Apprentice on Thursday 29 January, admitted that her recent weightloss had been sparked by going on a ‘health kick’ and wanting to be a ‘healthy grandma’. She said, “I haven’t joined [the Ozempic Club] – bloody hard work. It is okay losing it, it is keeping it off.
“I have lost quite a bit – I don’t know, though, as I don’t weigh myself. I feel better for it. It is good because everything you put on fits.”
The star clearly looks after herself in other ways, too. Last August she took to Instagram to share a gorgeous snap following a skin-tightening procedure, and another showcasing her arms afterwards.