Kelly Clarkson Says She Turned To Weight Loss Meds After Seeing Herself On TV

The Kelly Clarkson Show/YouTube

When Kelly Clarkson returned to television for the season 5 premiere of her self-titled talk show, the singer looked noticeably different due to drastic weight loss.

Fans have speculated about how Kelly Clarkson accomplished her weight loss goal, but the American Idol champ stayed mum on the subject until now. During an episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, the host interviewed legendary actress Whoopi Goldberg and the pair discussed their own weight loss.

When Clarkson complimented Goldberg’s youthful appearance, the actress attributed it to the fact that she’s “lost almost two people.”

“I’m doing that wonderful shot that works for people who need some help,” Whoopi said. “And it’s been really good for me.”

Kelly admitted that she also turned to prescription weight loss medication to aid her in her own weight loss journey.

 

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“I’m doing a different one than people assume, but I ended up having to do that too because my bloodwork got so bad,” Kelly said, adding that she was 203 pounds at her heaviest and didn’t realize that she needed to take control of her health.

While watching a concert of herself she had taped to release, Kelly was shocked to see what she looked like on camera.

“I saw myself … I didn’t see it. We were in my house in New York watching [the tape]. We were going to release it. Then all of a sudden, I paused it and went, ‘Who the *bleep* is that?'”

Kelly shared that when she finally realized that she had a problem, her first thought was, “She looks like she’s about to die of a heart attack!”

“It’s a weird thing … I was never insecure about it. I was happy,” Kelly said. “At my heaviest, I was 203, and I’m 5 feet, 3 1/2 inches. People assume I was miserable and depressed or whatever. But, no. I was not.”

In January, Kelly Clarkson addressed her weight loss in an interview with PEOPLE, saying that walking in New York City and dietary changes have helped.

“Walking in the city is quite the workout,” she said. “And I’m really into infrared saunas right now. And I just got a cold plunge because everybody wore me down.”

“I eat a healthy mix. I dropped weight because I’ve been listening to my doctor — a couple years I didn’t. And 90 percent of the time I’m really good at it because a protein diet is good for me anyway. I’m a Texas girl, so I like meat. Sorry, vegetarians in the world!”

Watch Kelly Clarkson’s interview with Whoopi Goldberg in the video below.