Feeling fierce! Marissa Jaret Winokur debuted her 50-pound weight loss after dedicating her time to staying healthy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“If you have been following my story’s [sic] you know how hard I have been working out with Keith Anthony to get healthy,” the Tony-winning actress, 47, wrote via Instagram on Monday, September 14, alongside before and after pictures from her wellness journey. “Truth, Covid scares me. I checked off all the boxes, I am HIGH RISK! So I started working out at home with Keith via zoom classes and eating healthy to have a fighting chance. In all honestly [sic] I also needed something to focus on have a goal. 6 months later I have lost almost 50 pounds.”
Though she admitted to feeling “scared to post photos” of her transformation, the Dancing With the Stars alum took the opportunity to be a source of inspiration for her fans.
“Maybe I could inspire someone ANYONE to choose to fight!” the musical theater star, who originated the role of Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray on Broadway in 2002, wrote. “I haven’t had asthma in months. My anxiety is at an all time high because you know the country is such a mess. The hour or two a day I focus on working out my sadness turns to productive energy, so that I don’t watch the news and bury my head, but try to help our situation.”
The Celebrity Big Brother alum has spoken openly about her health in the past, including her battle with cervical cancer before Hairspray opened on Broadway. While she acknowledged that “losing weight will not stop the spread” of the novel coronavirus, she hoped she could help empower others to take their health into their own hands.
“Getting myself as strong as possible to fight [COVID-19] at least makes me FEEL like I am doing something. It makes me FEEL like if I can kick cancer’s ass I can do this too,” she added. “Thank you for always being part of my YO-YO journey. I can only say Today I feel strong. Today I feel like I can do anything. Today I don’t bury my head, I will work out and email our senators wear a mask and make sure Family and friends VOTE !! We have work to do on ourselves to save this nation … Do what you have to do personally to get in the fight.”
Winokur is one of many stars to showcase their slimdowns while in quarantine. In August, Cynthia Bailey told Us Weekly exclusively that she’s gone both up and down on the scale amid the pandemic — but has turned to fitness to help stay grounded.
“We’re being careful, but at the same time, you have to get back to your life,” she said of her workouts with fiancé Mike Hill at the time. “We need to work out … all we do is eat and work so we need it for our mental sanity.”
