Kelly Osbourne isn't holding back. At the Inaugural Beacher Vitality Happy & Healthy Summit on May 10 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the 40-year-old reality star laid bare the harsh body shaming she's faced for years.
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With unflinching candor, Osbourne revealed that her weight has drawn more criticism than any other aspect of her life, sparking a powerful conversation about self-acceptance.
"We live in a fat-phobic world," Osbourne told the audience, via PEOPLE. "I've been a drug addict, an alcoholic, a complete mess, even disrespectful. Yet, I got more hate for being fat than anything else. It's wild."
Osbourne, a Dancing with the Stars alum, noted that no article about her skips a jab at her weight. When heavier, she endured backhanded remarks like, "You're so pretty. Just lose a bit of weight, and you'll be perfect."
Those words stung, but they also fueled her resolve.
A Journey Beyond the Scale
Osbourne's path to health wasn't a straight line. "I tried everything -- surgery, meds, diets, exercise," she shared. "But nothing clicked until I got my mind right. Then, everything fell into place." For Osbourne, true change started with mental and emotional peace. "It's not just diet and exercise," she said. "You have to shift your brain and accept where you are first."
Her weight loss, she admitted, came in stages and wasn't easy. Osbourne previously praised her gastric sleeve surgery as "the best thing I've ever done" on the Hollywood Raw podcast in 2020. However, she stressed it wasn't a magic fix. "If you don't work out and eat right, you gain weight," she explained. "It just sets you on the right path."
To prepare for surgery, Osbourne underwent a year of therapy. "It helped with my addiction issues," she said. "The surgery cuts a hormone that curbs cravings and emotional eating, which was huge for me."
Still, she cautioned, "It's not a quick fix. It doesn't solve everything."
Prioritizing What Matters
Reflecting on recent family health scares, Osbourne told PEOPLE at Clarins' Beauty Icons event on March 21 that life's challenges taught her to focus on what truly counts. "You face scare after scare and learn what's real, what's healthy, and what makes you feel your best," she said.
For Osbourne, that means striving to be her best self -- not for the critics, but for her own peace. By sharing her story, she's challenging a fat-phobic culture and inspiring others to embrace their own journeys, one courageous step at a time.
