BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s state-run news agency says an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon hit a building that housed Syrian workers, killing 23 of them and wounding eight other people. The National News Agency says the strike late Wednesday occurred near the ancient city of Baalbek, in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley running along the Syrian border.
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GAVIN and Stacey star opens up about his struggles with binge eating and admitted to using the controversial weight loss drug Ozempic in an effort to slim down.
James, 46, previously admitted to being bullied over his weight.
He opened up about his mental health issues and how it lead to food addiction, revealing he binge eats giant chocolate bars in his car.
In a segment for his Sirius XM radio show, the actor explained what happened when he turned to medication for help.
Ozempic is a diabetes drug that many celebrities have been crediting with drastic weight-loss.
The medication is known to make its user feel full, and interacts with the body’s hormones to slow down metabolism.
However, NHS doctors have also warned of “dangerous” complications that come when the drug is “abused”.
James said: “I tried Ozempic, and it won’t be surprising to you when you look at me now, that it didn’t really work.
“I tried it for a bit and then what I realised was I was like, ‘Oh no, nothing about my eating has anything to do with being hungry.’
“All it does is make you feel not hungry. But I am very rarely eating [just because I’m hungry].”
He added: “You are looking at someone who’s eaten a king size, and when I say king size Dairy Mil – one you give someone for Christmas – in a carwash.
“None of that was like, oh, I’m so hungry. It is not that, it’s something else.”
Other celebrities have chimed in on the debate around Ozempic.
Oscar-winning actor Kate Winslet is against the use of the drug, along with former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne warning of its use.
Kelly Osbourne incited fury after she said any critics of the drug simply “couldn’t afford it”.
Earlier this year, Stephen Fry also warned about its use after he said he was “throwing up five times a day” when he tried it.
So what exactly is this drug? Semaglutide belongs to a class called GLP-1 agonists, which not only regulate blood sugar but, as was discovered about a decade ago, also mimic the gut hormones that regulate our appetites – the ones that tell the brain when we are hungry or full.
Originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, it is used off-label (for a purpose other than that for which it was licensed) in both the US and the UK to treat obesity. In research conducted by its billionaire manufacturer, the Danish-based pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, patients lost an average of 17 per cent of their overall body weight over 68 weeks. This compares with five to nine per cent for ‘oldschool’ anti-obesity drugs such as Metformin.
Only available in the UK on the NHS if you have type 2 diabetes, Ozempic can be obtained through a private doctor, and if you are willing to take it without medical supervision – not recommended by doctors (see panel) – you can get it online through various weight-loss programmes. It is sometimes taken in tablet form but more commonly as an injection.
Hollywood has been aware of Ozempic for a lot longer than us – Variety magazine recently quipped that the drug deserved its own thank-you speech at the Emmys, as so many stars on the podium had obviously been taking it. Elon Musk raved about its more powerful sister drug, Wegovy, on Twitter; Kim Kardashian, it is hotly rumoured, used semaglutide to lose 16lb in order to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s dress for the Met Ball. On TikTok the hashtag #ozempic has had more than 285 million views.
Thanks to the hype, there has been a surge in demand, with a backlash against influencers and celebrities hogging supplies ahead of desperate diabetes sufferers.
“The first week or so, I was thinking, ‘This is astonishing. Not only do I not want to eat, I don’t want any alcohol of any kind.’
“This is going to be brilliant,’” he said during a recent appearance on the River Café Table 4 podcast.
He was forced to stop taking Ozempic after he began feeling “sicker and sicker”.
Oprah Winfry made a documentary, ‘An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution’, for ABC about the weight-loss drug.
After he first found fame on slimming club comedy Fat Friends, James signed a multi million pound deal to be the face of Weight Watchers three years ago.
He praised them for helping him shed two stone, but he parted ways with the company last year.
After nearly a decade in Hollywood hosting The Late, Late Show, James stepped down from his role last year and returned to the UK with his wife and family.
He is now working on the upcoming Gavin and Stacey Christmas special, which will reunite him with former co-stars Mathew Horne, Joanna Page, Rob Brydon, and co-creator Ruth Jones.
This special is being promoted as the final installment of the award-winning comedy.
FORMER Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse has opened up about her weight loss journey.
The professional dancer revealed she dropped four dress sizes – while admitting it’s been one of the “toughest” experiences of her life.
Oti, 34, gave birth a year ago and also battles with gestational diabetes.
She took to social media sharing how her health concerns spurred her into action with seeking out a more active lifestyle.
“It wasn’t just about the number on the scale,” Oti explained. “It was about feeling stronger, healthier, and more alive.”
Starting her journey at a size 18, Oti has now slimmed down to a size 10, but she emphasized that this transformation was never about getting “skinny”.
Instead, she focused on gaining strength, confidence, and creating a healthier lifestyle that felt sustainable.
The Dancing on Ice judge admitted that it wasn’t easy to break lifelong habits, try new foods, or push her body in ways she never had before.
But the hard work has paid off, and she’s thrilled with the results.
She told followers: “Wow. To see my body transform, not just in shape, but in how it feels… that’s a win every day.
“I’m proud of where I am, at whatever size, and I want every woman to feel that sense of pride too.
“This isn’t just my journey. It’s MY journey. I would love for you to come along with me—to feel empowered, to feel strong, and to live life fully!”
Oti invited fans to join her in celebrating health and vitality by attending her upcoming dance tour, Viva Carnival.
Followers flocked to praise the former Strictly pro, with one saying: “Some women take longer to get back in those jeans after having a baby, we are not all the same. You’ve done fantastic and you look gorgeous.”
Another pointed out: “Your body grew a whole human!! You look amazing.”
CATHERINE Zeta Jones gave husband Michael Douglas a birthday gift to remember as she stripped naked for a raunchy photograph.
The 55-year-old actress and Hollywood veteran Michael, 80, share the same special day, and Catherine’s tribute to her man certainly went down well with their fans.
She shared a black and white profile shot of her standing in the buff in the bathroom.
The brunette beauty’s long legs were accentuated by a pair of heels as she gazed into a mirror.
Catherine captioned her post: “In my birthday suit! After over 25 years of sharing my birthday day with my husband, I am running out of gift ideas!
“This is gift option two, golf balls being option one… of course.”
One fan commented: “Excellent gift for your husband and your admirers, for such a beautiful image. Happy and blessed birthday, many blessings.”
Another said: “Let’s be fair if Catherine looks like that NOW, every day is a birthday for Michael!
A third wrote: “Omg breathtaking. Your husband will be so happy.”
The previous day Catherine shared another photo, this time of Michael planting an affectionate kiss on her earlier in their marriage.
She said: “Happy Birthday to Michael and to me!! This was us on our birthday 25 years ago! I love you with all my heart, our friend @jeanpigozzi snapped us in New York!!”
Catherine’s funny golf balls comment was very fitting given their joint love of the game, which is one of the main reasons they got together back in 1998.
Two years later the couple were married and they’ve had many a happy round on courses around the world since.
Speaking earlier this year on US talk show The View, Michael revealed the very risqué forfeit Catherine gives him when he loses.
He explained The Mask of Zorro actress makes him “whip it out.”
The Fatal Attraction actor continued: “She says, ‘You’ve gotta whip it out.’
“Drop the trou and whip it out.
“That’s the secret to a marriage.”
Michael went on to say he doesn’t do it any more as he’s getting older.
He said: “I’m going to be 80 in September, so now I play off of ladies tees, too, so I don’t have to do that anymore.”
It wasn’t the first time Michael has spoken out the lovers’ joint appreciation for the game.
In April, he told Ross King on Lorraine that golf brought them together.
“You know, Catherine loves golf,” he said. “That was actually kind of the closest we first got together.
“Things were looking good and I said, ‘What do you think of golf?’
“She said, ‘Oh, I love golf!’, and I said, ‘Oh, you do?’ That’s too good to be true.”
He also revealed he knew Catherine was the one soon after they first met and told her “I want to father your children.”
The pair went on to welcome two kids – Carys, 21, and Dylan, 24.
Michael also has a son, Cameron, 45, from a previous marriage.
Despite their many years of marriage, their love story hasn’t been smooth sailing.
In 2013, the pair separated for about a year.
At the time of their split, Michael opened up to Extra TV about the separation.
“Catherine and I are fine,” he said.
“The press tries to push it along a little faster. We’re taking a little break.
“We talk. I think everything will be great.”
After the pair reconciled, he told Ellen, “I’m crazy about her… I think every couple has their difficulties.
“The only problem is, as you well know, we’re all in the public eye, and it tends to get a little more exposed than most.”
