GK Barry warns of disturbing impact weight-loss jabs could have on women’s bodies
GK Barry believes influencers in ‘the public eye’ should be more up front and honest about using weight-loss jabs. The confession comes amid detailing her ‘worries’ about how wide usage may be impacting women’s perception of their bodies.
Author and Netflix actress GK Barry—whose real name is Grace Keeling—shot to fame after she started sharing her life unfiltered on TikTok in 2020.
Since then, the Cambridge-born personality, 27, has made history by becoming Loose Women’s youngest-ever panellist; caused ITV viewers to demand a new I’m A Celeb rule be put in place; and surprised fans by making a cameo in a Harlan Coben TV series.
This month, she sat down with Fabulous Magazine where she touched on her opinion of weight loss drugs.
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In the chat, Barry admitted she had always been ‘very used to being thin’.
“So when you put even a tiny bit of weight on, that’s all you think about. It feels like the end of the world. I went drastically the other way,” she confessed.
The Saving Grace podcaster said that after publicly losing weight, online critics apparently began accusing her of using GLP-1 jabs, which she denies.
“People were accusing me of being on Ozempic. I am not on the jabs. I am actually scared of needles, but it also just feels a bit too much for me," she informed the publication.
The Nottingham Trent University alma mater claimed that due to the popularity of weight-loss medications, she ‘worries’ that we will soon live in a world where anything larger than a straight size 10 will be considered ‘unacceptable’, as per Fabulous.
Previous data published by social-commerce platform Mys Tyler has said that the average British woman sits somewhere between dress sizes 16 and 18.
However, a worrying NHS survey has suggested that the majority of women in Britain (52 percent) are always trying to lose weight.
Research shows that around 80 percent of current GLP-1 users are women, with men four times less likely to seek out the so-called ‘skinny jab’, as per The Health Foundation.
The majority of motivations for pursuing injectables include reducing weight-related health risks and ‘improving body satisfaction’, as per a paper published in the journal of Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
One study has previously claimed that ‘women who consider themselves larger felt more positive about themselves when they were able to fit into the smaller-sized pants’.
The I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! star added that she does understand why people reach for GLP-1 meds.
However, she does not like the idea of influencers lying about using them to fuel apparent 'fitness transformations'.
“I know it’s no one’s business, but if you’re in the public eye, unfortunately it is,” she said.
“And if I ever got anything done, I would come online and be like: ‘Oh gosh, I’m really sorry,’ and do my public apology that I did get my nose done.”
Weight-loss jab ‘changed’ celebrity’s life
Various celebrities have been frank about using GLP-1s like Mounjaro, including Gogglebox star Amy Tapper.
In an interview with MailOnline, the former Channel 4 favourite admitted she used Mounjaro jabs and regular exercise to help her reach her eight-stone weight-loss goal.
“I’m fitting into size 18 clothes for the first time since I was 15 or 16 – it’s hard for me to believe,” Tapper said earlier this year.
“It’s changed my life. I do get annoyed when people call it the ‘lazy way out’. I don’t want people to think I haven’t tried — this has been my only option to get this far.”
How to use GLP-1 medication safely
In conversation with LADbible, Dr Francesca Testa, from the weight loss support company Voy, explained that people can safely use GLP-1 jabs as long as protein is prioritised.
"Try and include a source of protein during meals such as yoghurt, eggs and lean meat. This will help you stabilise energy levels, support muscle maintenance and keep you comfortably full for longer," she said.
"Those on weight-loss medication can find it harder to recognise hunger cues due to changes in hunger perception, which can sometimes lead you toward quick, low-nutrition snacks at parties or after a couple of drinks, which is not beneficial for your goals.”
Dr Testa also advised people on the jabs to drink slowly and in moderation when it comes to alcohol.
“Alcohol may affect you differently on weight loss injections. If alcohol is part of your celebrations, sip slowly," she said.
"This helps prevent blood alcohol levels from rising too quickly, keeps calories in check, and reduces the likelihood of late-night snack cravings. Pairing drinks with water can also help pace consumption.”
Topics: Celebrity News, GK Barry, Health, Mounjaro
Ella Scott