Melissa Gorga, Kyle Richards. Bravo (2)
Before Kyle Richards slammed rumors that she used Ozempic to lose weight, fellow Housewife Melissa Gorga could understand the speculation.
“I’m not gonna lie, when I first saw her, I was like, ‘Oh she’s taking that stuff,’” the Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 43, said during a Thursday, January 26, appearance on the “Jeff Lewis Live” SiriusXM radio show. “And then, when she [denied it], I’m like, ‘Oh, OK, maybe not.’ You know, I don’t know. I didn’t even text her and ask her.”
Richards, 54, was criticized earlier this month after sharing an ab-bearing bikini selfie. After the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills personality flaunted her weight loss progress, social media users hurled accusations that she had used Ozempic to drop the pounds. (According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Ozempic is a medication that is commonly used for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or who are overweight with a weight-related condition, including high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes.)
Richards swiftly shut down the speculation. “I am NOT taking Ozempic. Never have,” she wrote in an Instagram comment on January 16, replying to a social media user. “I have never tried Ozempic and this is not from plastic surgery. I did have a breast reduction in May [2022]. I’m honest about what I do. But if giving plastic surgery the credit makes you feel better then pop off sister .”
The California native — who shares three daughters with husband Mauricio Umansky and eldest daughter Farrah with former spouse Guraish Aldjufrie — revealed one week later that she had gained weight after her three-week winter getaway in Europe. Upon Richards’ return home, she overhauled her diet to eliminate sugar, carbs and alcohol.
“I’ve already lost the weight I wanted to lose [and] I’m not trying to lose anymore,” the Halloween Ends actress said during a January 19 Amazon Live session, noting she’s felt “so good” on her new wellness kick. “I, of course, will have birthday cake or some pasta … once in a blue moon. I am not following the keto diet. Just basically, I eat protein, vegetables, fruit and carbs once in a while. But I do eat fruits and vegetables all the time and I really love cereal.”
In addition to healthy eating, Richards also maintains her figure with a variety of high-impact fitness exercises.
“My workout routine, I shake it up — I do something different every day,” she said during the Amazon Live appearance. “I do the Peloton, a very long, extensive ab routine. I’m now doing weights. I always did light weights, but now I’ve increased my weights that I’m lifting. And then I will run, either outside or — depending on the weather — I will run on the treadmill.”
Richards’ new wellness routine has impressed Gorga, who gushed on Thursday that she “looks great.”