Jen Thomas
Fans have defended Serena Williams after she faced criticism from Jameela Jamil following her interview, in which she revealed that she'd lost 31lbs using a GLP-1 drug to assist with weight loss.
While she didn't specify which medication she had taken, the mother-of-two confessed in an interview with PEOPLE that she had been feeling 'frustrated' with her body following the birth of her first daughter, Alexis Olympia, eight years ago.
She told the publication about her weight loss: "I feel great. I feel really good and healthy. I feel light physically and light mentally."
The tennis champion went on to say that she was 'never able to get to the weight I needed to be, no matter what I did, no matter how much I trained', adding: "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."
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The 43-year-old also appeared on the Today show, explaining that many of her family members have diabetes and that she wanted to lose weight to take pressure off her knees, which she said she had 'a lot of issues with'.
Serena isn't the only celebrity to have spoken out on their use of GLP-1 drugs to help with weight loss, with Sharon Osbourne, James Corden, and Amy Schumer, among others, all having been open with their experiences.
Her revelation sparked a discussion online, and actor Jameela Jamil gave her thoughts on the situation, claiming that the sports star is 'selling GLP-1s'.
The model took to her Instagram to say that what made her the 'most uncomfortable' is that celebrities have 'access to doctors most others don't have access to', adding: "These 'miracle' weight loss drugs come at a price."
Jameela then went on to list various possible side effects, claiming that 'nobody tells you these things in the adverts and media' and that if 'things go wrong, you don't have a billion dollars to fix it'.
She further clarified in the caption: "I GOT THIS INFORMATION FROM THE WEBSITES OF THE DRUGS IN THE SIDE EFFECTS PAGES. You can go see for yourself."
She also pointed out Serena's partnership with Ro, a telehealth company for which her husband, Alexis Ohanian, is a board member and investor, as 'another reason we should take every celebrity endorsement with a pinch of salt'.
The 39-year-old continued to say: "Go ahead and take the drug or anything you like… Please just make sure you have access to proper healthcare before you make the decision to take any drug that has drastic results."
However, fans of Serena have been sharing their support for the star, as one person said: "People can choose to buy and take it or not."
Another tried to take the middle ground, writing that they didn't think she 'should be promoting it but I'm not gonna criticize her for taking it', adding: "Serena is not encouraging others to use this product, she is saying it works for HER! It is still your choice if you want to use this product or not."
While a third wrote that they didn't understand why Jameela was 'acting like there are no other drugs that have side effects too' and that 'literally every single drug out there prescribed by a health care professional has side effects'.
LADbible Group has contacted Serena Williams' representatives for comment.