Star Jones Reynolds admits Gastric Bypass Surgery

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Star Jones Reynolds has always kept the secret of her weight loss a secret-until now.

In the September issue of Glamour magazine, she is admitting that she had gastric bypass surgery-even though she has been denying she had it done all this time.

Jones Reynolds says, “First, I didn’t know if the surgery would work. I had spent my entire adult life telling everyone that I was fine with the way I looked. I never thought I’d have to explain it. But the complete truth is, I was scared of what people might think of me.”

Star, 45, had tracked her weight loss and gains over the years. The day of her surgery she weighed 307 pounds. She said the way she got this way was by feeling lonely and used food to fill the void of it. “Whenever I felt lonely, a Double Whopper with Cheese became my friend. If I felt sad, six strips of bacon made me feel better.”

Star went in for the gastric bypass operation in 2003 after a friend expressed concern about her weight.

After the surgery, the Court TV host said she didn’t expect the public to be judgmental about her. So she denied reports that she had undergone treatment even though she lost 160 pounds over three years.

Jones Reynolds’ husband, banker Al Reynolds, has been her biggest supporter. Star married Al on November 13, 2004. More than 30 corporate sponsors donated wedding attire and merchandise for the wedding, in exchange for mentions in the media and on her personal website. Al encouraged her to begin therapy in the summer of 2005. Star Jones Reynolds has learned many things during this time in therapy especially that she can’t control what others think of her. And now she is beginning to heal by talking openly about her weight loss.