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Rosie O’Donnell Talks 50-Pound Weight Loss: “It’s Filled With Emotional Turbulence”

Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell lost 50 pounds following a heart attack in 2012.Lou Rocco/ABC/Getty Images

Not all weight loss stories are 100 percent positive. Rosie O’Donnell, who is back hosting The View after her exit in 2007, shed 50 pounds after suffering a heart attack in 2012, and has struggled to adjust to her new body. 

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrity weight loss transformations

"The fact that I look so different has been difficult and unexpected," she told ABC News on the set of The View. "Everyone assumes that obese people would just be jumping for joy that they were healthier and thinner and able to fit into store-bought sizes, we don't have to go to the plus store. But it's also filled with a lot of emotional turbulence you wouldn't expect." See Rosie's before and after weight loss pic.

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrity weight fluctuations

Fortunately, this “turbulence” hasn’t hurt her marriage to second wife Michelle Rounds

"I have a group that I go to, where women talk about how they feel," she continued. "A lot of marriages break up once one person gets healthy. Luckily, my wife is very healthy, [has] always been healthy, loves me and encourages me to be healthy."

Related: PHOTOS: Celebs who have lost or gained weight for a role

In fact, losing weight and taking care of herself was one of her wife’s requirements for marriage. 

"When we decided to get married, she said, 'But I want 40 more years and I don't want you to die on me, so you need to do something for your health,'" O’Donnell, 52, noted.

Though it’s been a complicated process, O’Donnell is happy to be back hosting The View and feeling better than ever.

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrity weight loss spokespeople

"I feel good. I wouldn't have said yes to coming back if I didn't," she added. "The concept of being able to do this show in a way that celebrates and elevates women is hard for me to resist."

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