Vanessa Williams, 62, Gets Real About Weight Loss, HRT and Taking Control of Her Health
She's not the only celeb singing the praises of GLP-1 drugs in midlife
Vanessa Williams, 62, is speaking openly about the hormonal changes that reshaped her body in midlife—and the proactive steps she’s taken to support healthy weight loss and feel like herself again. Keep scrolling to learn more about the GLP-1 drug that helped the actress, singer and model fend off menopause weight gain and the self-care strategies that keep her skin glowing.
Why Vanessa Williams turned to semaglutide
Williams told Hello Magazine in January that her “fifties were hard” on her body. “I started perimenopause in my late forties but suddenly, at 51, it’s crazy how your body changes,” she said. “You feel out of control because you’re working out the same way, eating the same, and your body is not reacting the way it used to.”
It’s a frustration countless women know intimately—doing everything right yet watching your body stop responding the way it once did. To help, Williams began taking Mounjaro (tirzepatide), a GLP-1 drug she’s now been on for two years.
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“It’s a game‑changer,” she said of the medication, which is an FDA-approved injection made for type-2 diabetes that also aids weight loss. The actress explained her motivation in clear, health-first terms: “When I turned 60, I was like, ‘I want to be here for a long time, and I want to look my best. So what am I going to do?’”
Williams’ self-care strategy includes HRT
To help feel her best, Williams began hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy, which helps relieve menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. She also revealed that she started NAD+ injections, which reportedly promotes cell energy, reduces signs of aging and more. “Science is amazing,” she praised. “I’m like, ‘What’s next? Bring it on!’”
That longevity-driven mindset guided her other wellness choices as well. Williams takes care of her skin by using a facial treatment called P5 to rejuvenate her skin.
“I’ve done it three times and definitely see a difference,” Williams said, noting that she also uses a Ziip device to help tighten and plump her face. “It was created by the makeup artist Melanie Simon, who I worked with when I was doing Desperate Housewives,” Williams shared. “She sent me one and I’ve been using it for 15 years.”
Other celebs are opening up about using GLP-1s in midlife
Williams isn’t the only high-profile woman speaking candidly about her health and weight-loss choices. Tennis legend Serena Williams, 44, revealed last year that she used a GLP-1 to lose 31 pounds. “I feel great,” she told People in August 2025. “I feel really good and healthy. I feel light physically and light mentally.”
She explained that after welcoming daughter Olympia in 2017, she was “never” able to reach the weight she “needed.” (Williams shares Olympia, now 8, and Adria, 2, with husband Alexis Ohanian.)
“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,” Serena shared. “I had never taken shortcuts in my career and always worked really hard. I know what it takes to be the best.”
She added, “The size I was before, there was nothing wrong with it. It’s just not what I wanted to have. I just knew that I wanted to be where I personally felt comfortable.”
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