Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli made a bombshell admission live on-air on Wednesday that he was taking an expensive celebrity weight loss drug.
The Nova radio host, who has been open about his weight problems over the years, told his co-host Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald he was prescribed the drug Mounjaro by a doctor.
‘Bit of a health update! I rolled into the doctor the other day with a couple of symptoms and he tells me to jump on the scales,’ Wippa began.
The 45-year-old said his weight was higher than expected and so he was prescribed a weight loss drug called Mounjaro, which is a competitor of Ozempic.
‘Let’s not go into the actual number, but there were three digits! I’ve been there before and the doctor said he can put me onto something.’
Wippa then said the doctor told him Mounjara was ‘better’ than Ozempic because it helped people achieve the same weight loss goals ‘without the side effects’.
Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli made a bombshell admission on Wednesday that he was taking an expensive celebrity weight loss drug
‘You get it in a pen. Mounjaro and Ozempic both lower the blood sugar in people, in combination with a healthy diet. It stifles your appetite.’
He explained that being on the drug was helping him reduce snacking throughout the day, with his bowl of breakfast cereal now sustaining him until lunchtime.
Wippa then said the one downside to the drug was its very expensive cost.
‘It is $350 for the pen and one month’s dose. And I needed a new pen and the chemist charged me $580!’ Wippa said.
The Melbourne-born presenter finished up by saying while the drug had significantly improved his lifestyle, he recommended that people shop around for the cheapest deal on it.
Wippa and his wife Lisa have been open about his health struggles in the past.
He shares his three children with Lisa, 41, who spoke about the couple’s decision to sleep in separate beds back in 2023.
She first opened up about their unorthodox sleeping arrangement in an interview with Body+Soul, revealing that not only do they have their own beds, but they also retire to their own private bedrooms at the end of the day.
The Nova radio host, who has been open about his weight problems over the years, told co-host Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald he was prescribed the drug Mounjaro by a doctor. Pictured in 2018
Wippa then said the doctor told him that Mounjara was ‘better’ than Ozempic because it helped people achieve the same weight loss goals ‘without the side effects’. Pictured with co-hosts Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald and Kate Ritchie
Speaking with The Daily Telegraph at the time, Lisa explained the practice began when their children were younger.
‘Now I love it so much that I can’t go back,’ she told the publication.
One reason the pair sleep apart is because of Wippa’s suspected sleep apnoea, for which he was undergoing tests at the time, with Lisa saying he will ‘probably end up [sleeping] with a Darth Vader mask’.
‘I would much rather him be a healthy version of himself than have some sort of brain aneurysm because of the lack of oxygen,’ she said.
Sleep apnoea occurs when a person’s throat is partly or completely blocked while they are asleep.
It is treated by using a continuous positive airway pressure pump (CPAP), which feeds pressurised air into a face mask to hold the person’s throat open as they sleep.
Lisa went on to say she is a light sleeper and wakes to the slightest noise, which is why she prefers getting a full night’s sleep in silence.
‘Essentially we are in separate beds and can I just say, you are a much happier person when you get good quality sleep,’ she revealed.
