DOI's The Vivienne hits back over Ozempic rumour as they show off weight loss

08 March 2024 , 21:01

455     0

The Vivienne has addressed speculation about their weight loss (Image: Getty Images)

The Vivienne has addressed speculation about their weight loss following some suggestion on social media this week that they have been taking the medication Ozempic.

The drag artist, 31 - who won the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2019 - took to Instagram on Friday to share a selfie with their followers. It showed them posing shirtless in a mirror whilst visiting a gym for a workout.

The performer - whose real name is James Lee Williams - teased that they had been using a gym in their native North Wales recently. The Vivienne has returned to the region whilst on tour with the musical The Wizard of Oz. They wrote in the caption of the post: "Feeling energised! Never thought I'd be a gym bunny! Only took me nearly 32 years! Amazing what a week in Wales can do! Been lovely visiting the gorgeous [LVL5 gym] too! Thanks for having us!"

James Lee Williams, known as the Vivienne, posted a selfie from a trip to a gym on social media earlier (thevivienne_/Instagram)

The Vivienne - who shared last year that they had lost four stone after competing on Dancing on Ice (DOI) - was met with compliments over their appearance in the comments section. Some people instead suggested that they had used the medication Ozempic, which according to its website, may "help" with losing weight but "is not a weight loss drug".

Addressing the speculation, The Vivienne reiterated that they had lost weight on DOI, adding that they have "kept it off" through exercise and "eating healthy". The former finalist placed third in the ITV ice skating contest last year.

Sam Faiers defends sleeping in separate room to partner Paul for six years

They wrote in the comments: "And for the 100th time, I'm not on Ozempic. I tried it once 3 years ago and it made me projectile vomit for 3 days. So never again. I lost the weight while filming [DOI] and kept it off by eating healthy and going to the gym every day. It's really that simple."

The remark came after The Vivienne had responded to a few people who had speculated. One person wrote: "It's the ol'Zempic innit." The Vivienne responded: "Tried it once 3 years ago, it's vile." Another follower had teased: "OZEMPIC baby!" The drag artist had reacted: "I don't think so."

The drag artist addressed speculation about their weight loss in the comments section (Getty Images)

The Vivienne told fans that they had lost weight through Dancing on Ice last year and have since 'kept it off' through exercise and their diet (Matt Frost/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Ozempic is a brand of semaglutide, which is said to mimic a hormone related to appetite regulation. It's advertised as a way for people with type 2 diabetes to improve their blood sugar levels. Although the medication may lead to weight loss, the brand states that it is "not a weight loss drug".

Its website states: "[The once-weekly prescription] along with diet and exercise, lowers blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes." It adds: "[It can] reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death in adults with type 2 diabetes with known heart disease."

The "most common" possible side effects are listed on the website as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and constipation. It adds that "serious side effects" of the medication Ozempic may include possible thyroid tumours.

Joel Leaver