Kelly Clarkson is revealing what inspired her recent weight loss and the lifestyle changes she’s made for her long-term health.
In a Jan. 29 episode of her talk show, she shared that she was prediabetic.
“That was literally what happened. … I wasn’t shocked,” Clarkson told her guest, actor Kevin James. “I was a tiny bit overweight. So, yeah, but I wasn’t shocked by it. But they did. They were like, ‘You’re prediabetic. You’re right on the borderline.’ And I was like, ‘But I’m not there yet.’ And then I waited two years and then … I was like, ‘OK, I’ll do something about it.’”
Having prediabetes means your blood sugar level is higher than normal but still lower than the range for Type 2 diabetes. Exercise and a healthy diet can help decrease the risk it progresses.
Clarkson previously shared in an exclusive interview with People that she’s “dropped weight” because she’s now taking her wellness seriously.
“Walking in the city is quite the workout,” said the star, who relocated to New York City last year for her show.
“I’m really into infrared saunas right now. And I just got a cold plunge because everybody wore me down,” the “Piece By Piece” singer added.
As for her diet, Clarkson isn’t doing anything extreme.
“I eat a healthy mix,” she said. “I dropped weight because I’ve been listening to my doctor — a couple years I didn’t. And 90% of the time I’m really good at it because a protein diet is good for me anyway. I’m a Texas girl, so I like meat — sorry, vegetarians in the world!
“But I still splurge. The other night I had a frozen yogurt with my daughter, and it was magical,” added the Grammy winner, who shares daughter River Rose, 9, and son Remington, 7, with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.
Clarkson has previously spoken about experiencing weight loss while addressing thyroid and autoimmune issues she had been experiencing.
The “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” singer changed her diet to treat the issues and ended up losing about 37 pounds, she told TODAY’s Hoda Kotb in 2018.
“I know the industry loves the weight gone, but for me it wasn’t really the weight,” Clarkson said at the time.
Over her years in Hollywood, the original “American Idol” has had to deal with a lot of commentary about her size. She told Glamour UK in 2020 that being thin doesn’t always give her more confidence, adding that she got her coaching role on “The Voice” after gaining some weight.
“I got on the No. 1 television show at my heaviest point, because it was right after I had kids, and it was like they didn’t care,” Clarkson said. “Paul (Telegdy, chairman of NBC Entertainment) hired me from NBC because he loved my personality, he loved that I connect with people and I’m really raw and real. It had nothing to do with my sex appeal or my look aesthetically. It had to do with me as a person. I think it’s really up to artists to force people to have that mentality.”
Clarkson and TODAY’s Jenna Bush Hager bonded over weight struggles when Jenna and her twin sister, Barbara Pierce Bush, appeared on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” this past November.
During the conversation, Clarkson showed a photo of Jenna and Barbara dressed identically as kids.
“Those drop waist things were popular,” Jenna said of the dresses she and her sister were wearing in the pic.
Clarkson interjected, “Which is not good for girls with curves later on.”
After Jenna remarked that she and Barbara “were chubby” as children, Clarkson replied, “You were not.”
“Well, we were,” Jenna continued.
Barbara acknowledged that neither she nor Jenna were chubby in the photo Clarkson showed her viewers.
“Not there, but I was,” Jenna insisted.
Clarkson responded, “I’m like, ‘I don’t think you know what chubby is.’”
When Jenna pressed Barbara to validate that she had been chubby as a child, Barbara hesitated before conceding, “Well, there was a stage.”
Clarkson then gave Jenna a high-five, joking, “I’ve had many stages.”
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