Serena Williams shocked her fans when she revealed on Thursday that she has lost 31lbs with the aid of a weight-loss medication, GLP-1.
And the athlete was quick to show off her skinny frame when in New York City.
The mother-of-two was seen in a snakeskin print push-up bra dress by L’Agence as she stopped by the Today show. The star also had her blonde hair down as she looked nicely made up.
While on the show she revealed the health issue that runs in her family which made her want to lose any extra weight: Williams said that several of her family members have had diabetes.
Diabetes is a chronic condition where blood sugar (glucose) levels are too high, often because the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t use it effectively.
She also hoped that losing weight would relieve pressure on her knees. ‘I had a lot of issues with my knees, especially after I had my kid,’ she said. ‘That, quite frankly, definitely had an effect on maybe some wins that I could have had in my career.’
Serena Williams shocked her fans when she revealed on Thursday that she has lost 31lbs with the aid of a weight-loss medication, GLP-1
And the athlete was quick to show off her skinny frame when in New York City. The mother-of-two was seen in a snakeskin print push-up bra dress by L’Agence as she stopped by the Today show
And she maintained that she tried to lose the weight on her own but couldn’t,’ she noted.
‘As an athlete and as someone that has done everything, I just couldn’t get my weight to where I needed to be at a healthy place, and believe me I don’t take shortcuts. I do everything but shortcuts,’ Williams said on Today.
After Olympia was born in 2017, she worked out for hours to shed the weight but her weight refused to go down.
‘I literally was playing a professional sport, and I could never go back to where I needed to be for my health, for my healthy weight, no matter what I did,’ she said. ‘I would always lose a lot of weight, and then I would stay. No matter what I did, I couldn’t go lower than that one number.’
On Thursday, she kicked off a campaign with Ro, a company that prescribes GLP-1 medications through telehealth; she wants to show that taking the medication is not just an ‘easy way out.’ Her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, is an investor in Ro and serves on its board.
Also on Thursday the 5ft9in athlete dropped three new images to Instagram where she was in a bright yellow swimsuit while in the water.
The beauty struck fun poses as she oozed body confidence and flashed a winning smile while wearing black sunglasses and a scarf around her neck. ‘Melanin mellow-yellow,’ she wrote in her caption as her 18M fans went wild for her new look.
While on the show she revealed the health issue that runs in her family which made her want to lose weight: Williams said that some of her family members have had diabetes
She also hoped that losing weight would relieve pressure on her knees. ‘I had a lot of issues with my knees, especially after I had my kid,’ she said
‘That, quite frankly, definitely had an effect on maybe some wins that I could have had in my career.’ And she maintained that she tried to lose the weight on her own but couldn’t
Soon after her reveal, she dropped new images to Instagram where she was in a bright yellow swimsuit while in the water
That same day the seven-time Wimbledon champ was seen in all gray with silver pumps as she walked in New York City with a dark cap from Nike that read ‘I’m on Ro.’ Williams teamed up with Ro to partner on their GLP-1 weight loss offering.
Her weight loss news was hardly shocking.
After all the 43-year-old tennis champion has been dropping hints for several months that she had experienced a major slim down.
Often the California native would post stunning swimsuit photos where she had no fat on her, which is impressive considering she has welcomed two children: Olympia and Adira with husband of eight years, Alexis Ohanian.
The star had abs, strong legs and sculpted arms as she flaunted her new frame.
On July 11 Serena had a six pack as she wore black workout attire in a gym. ‘Working out and working on my angles,’ she wrote in her caption.
Halle Berry, Amy Schumer and Mandy Moore hit the like button.
On July 18 the athlete posed in a periwinkle blue bikini while on a yacht as she appeared ready for her closeup.
She had a ripped tummy with a smaller bust and bottom as she posed like a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model.
In February 2024, she share a flattering bikini photo.
The star looked incredibly toned and slender in a little white two-piece swimsuit that consisted of a low-cut top and small briefs with straps over the hips.
The diva had black sunglasses on as she posed on a yacht as she held her second daughter Adira.
Her her hair was worn up with curly tendrils falling down around her face, and her makeup was light with pale pink lipstick.
‘Loving yourself is essential,’ began her caption as she was candid about her feelings concerning her body.
She then went on about how she felt about her morphing figure.
She was walking New York City with a dark cap from Nike that read ‘I’m on Ro.’ Williams teamed up with Ro to partner on their GLP-1 weight loss offering
Here she is seen taking the jab in an ad for Ro
‘I find that I have to remind myself of that self-love through all different stages in my life,’ added the tennis great.
She then talked her figure, which looked in great shape. ‘Right now I love that my body is not picture perfect,’ she said.
‘I love that I smell like milk – that milk sustains @adiraohanian I love getting to know a new version of my body.
‘It is a change, but it’s a change that has been well worth it. So start this week, knowing that you are loved, and that starts with you. Ok, now I’m about to go to the gym. Serena.’
In mid July the athlete posed in a periwinkle blue bikini while on a yacht as she appeared ready for her closeup. Right, seen on July 11 with a six pack in the gym as she took a selfie
She said on Thursday that she found it hugely ‘frustrating’ when she was unable to get her pre-pregnancy physique back after giving birth to daughter Olympia in 2017 and faced similar struggles when her second daughter Adira was born in August 2023.
She told People magazine: ‘[After Olympia]I never was able to get to the weight I needed to be no matter what I did, no matter how much I trained.
‘It was crazy because I’d never been in a place like that in my life where I worked so hard, ate so healthy and could never get down to where I needed to be at.
‘I had never taken shortcuts in my career and always worked really hard. I know what it takes to be the best. So it was very frustrating to do all the same things and never be able to change that number on the scale or the way my body looked.’
Serena told how she lost a lot of weight in the two weeks after she and husband Alexis Ohanian welcomed their second daughter into the world, but then nothing else.
She recalled: ‘I just thought, gosh, I don’t know if I would ever be able to get back to where I needed to get to.’
Serena then turned to healthcare company Ro, who guided her in choosing a GLP-1 treatment – which includes the likes of Ozempic and Mounjaro – but was hesitant before going ahead.
She said: ‘I did a lot of research on it. I was like, ‘is this a shortcut? What are the benefits? What are not the benefits?’ I really wanted to dive into it before I just did it.’
After stopping breastfeeding when Adira was six months old, Serena was able to start the weekly injections and now she feels better than ever.
She said: ‘They were super supportive and it was easy to get the medication. I lost over 31 pounds using my GLP-1 and I was really excited about that weight loss.
‘I just can do more. I’m more active. My joints don’t hurt as much. I just feel like something as simple as just getting down is a lot easier for me. And I do it a lot faster. I feel like I have a lot of energy and it’s great. I just feel pretty good about it.’
The 23-time Grand Slam champion stressed that she’s continued to exercise and eat healthily alongside the medication.
She said: ‘GLP-1 helped me enhance everything that I was already doing — eating healthy and working out, whether it was as a professional athlete at the top level of tennis or just going to the gym every day.
‘So I think that it’s important for everyone to hear my story. And I feel like there’s a lot of people that can relate.’
