Already have an account?
Get back to the

Kelly Osbourne Recalls Trading Drugs for Food, Says Getting Weight-Loss Surgery Gave Her a ‘Fighting Chance’ (Exclusive)

Her personal journey. Kelly Osbourne revealed why she decided to get weight-loss surgery after she stopped using drugs.

Related: Celebrities' Weight Loss and Transformations: Before and After Photos

“I got sober. I replaced drugs and alcohol with food, my body metabolized differently. Once I got sober and I gained weight uncontrollably, it was insane,” Osbourne, 36, told Us Weekly exclusively on Monday, May 3. “[People] kept telling me, ‘You should do the surgery.’ I was so against it. … I thought the surgery was a cop-out and that it was like cheating. That couldn’t be further from the truth. What the surgery did was give me a fighting chance.”

Kelly Osbourne Why Weight Loss Surgery Gave Me Fighting Chance
Kelly Osbourne. KCR/Shutterstock

The former reality star revealed in an August 2020 Instagram post that she’d lost 85 pounds. Later that month, she detailed her experience undergoing gastric sleeve surgery two years prior during an episode of the “Hollywood Raw” podcast.

While the surgery gave her a “kickstart” to get to the place she wanted to be health-wise, Osbourne told Us that she didn’t follow doctors’ directions after the operation.

“I lost, like, I want to say 35 pounds, 40 pounds. And then I stopped losing weight. I just stopped because I didn’t listen to what they said. I just thought it was going to be a quick fix. I’d be done. I’d be skinny,” she added. “[I thought I] didn’t have to work out or do anything. I could not have been more wrong. You have to do every single thing that they tell you to do when you do the surgery, or it doesn’t work.”

The There Is No F—king Secret author said she felt pressure to be a certain size while growing up in the spotlight. While she’s never adhered to anyone’s ideas of what they want her to be, she found it hard to get work when she was sober.

Related: Celebrities Who Have Been to Rehab

“I know I’m a smart woman. I can make money doing anything if I wanted to. It’s just, the only thing I’m actually really good at is just being myself,” Osbourne told Us. “The more f—ked up I got the more work I got. Then I got sober, and they were like, ‘We really don’t want you now.’”

After beginning her journey to sobriety in August 2017, the Fashion Police alum shared earlier this year that she had relapsed.

“Not proud of it. But I am back on track,” she wrote via Instagram last month. Her relapse happened to coincide with the launch of her podcast, “The Kelly Osbourne and Jeff Beacher Show,” which premieres on Tuesday, May 4.

Because of the timing, many of Osbourne’s friends thought she had planned the relapse for podcast promotion purposes.

“The only reason I came honest about it is that I have to be held accountable,” she said. “I don’t want to have any secrets and relapse is a part of recovery.”

Osbourne and Jeff Beacher hope that sharing their stories will help inspire listeners to make their own healthy changes.

Related: Stars Who Revealed They've Gotten Sober

“We’re at a place in our lives where we’re finally putting ourselves first and we want everyone else to come along for the journey with us,” Osbourne said. “If we can give people some hope by sharing our experiences, we want to do that.”

If you or anyone you know is facing substance abuse issues, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for free and confidential information 24/7.

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!