Amanda Bynes leaves fans devastated after she reveals why she's taking Ozempic

Loyal fans of Amanda Bynes have been left heartbroken after the former child star admitted yesterday she'd made plans to start taking Ozempic.

In an Instagram video shared on Monday (23 Jun), the 39-year-old lifted the lid on the controversial reason why she feels spurred to shed a few pounds by using the injectables, which are primarily prescribed to individuals suffering type 2 diabetes.

The clip was shared amidst ongoing concerns for the wellbeing of Bynes, who shot to fame on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That in 1996, but who somewhat stepped away from the spotlight in the 2010s amid a struggle with her mental health.

Amongst other issues - including a drunk-driving arrest, drug addiction, and alleged sexual abuse -, the actress was placed in a conservatorship between August 2013 and March 2022. This gave her mother power over her professional endeavours and finances.

Bynes' physical appearance has also drastically changed over the years since she resigned from acting, with the star having undergone a facial tattoo and drastically bleached her once golden-blonde hair.

And by the sounds of things, the What A Girl Wants actress has plans to amend her aesthetic once again, by announcing plans to lose weight.

In a video shared to social media, Bynes claimed she's 'excited' to start taking Ozempic, before revealing that she'd made the decision to 'look better' to the press.

"I’m 173 now so I hope to get down to like 130," she told her online fans. "Which would be awesome so I look better in paparazzi pictures.

"I will post about my Ozempic journey, of course."

The rationale behind Bynes' decision hasn't gone down too well with many of her long-term fans, several of which took to Reddit to express their disappointment at the prospect of the actress feeling she must change herself for the approval of others.

"It makes me so sad to think about the joy she gave my childhood at the expense of her own," one wrote online this week.

The actress claimed her weight loss journey was aimed at 'looking better' for paparazzi (MEGA/GC Images)

Another added: "She is one celebrity that makes me so, so sad. I loved her so much back in the day and truly thought she had such a bright future because of her impeccable comedic timing.

"But fame means nothing at the end of the day. I want her to be happy and know how beloved she is."

A third also gushed: "She was a source of joy for so many of us during our childhood while she was a child herself and going through so much."

"This video activated my entire nervous system," a fourth continued. "I feel so bad for her. Dan Schneider chewed her up and spit her out.

"He ruined that woman. F**k."

The latter remark refers to television producer Dan Schneider, who created The Amanda Show that launched Bynes into international stardom before serving as writer/executive producer on the likes of Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, and iCarly.

In recent years, Schneider has been accused of years of abuse and inappropriate behaviour from former stars, with a number of allegations being made against him in the four-part docu-series, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.

Bynes shot to stardom on Nickelodeon as a child (Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

Though Bynes herself has never publicly accused Schneider of abuse, she has long been rumoured to have been a victim to inappropriate behaviour.

Though Schneider has apologised for his 'regretful' and 'embarrassing' manner on set, he has always denied sexually abusing staff on set.