Marie Osmond Opens Up About Body Image, Postpartum Depression, And Improving With Age


Marie Osmond has been entertaining America since she was just a young girl. Now, the 56-year-old legend has a brand-new album out called Music is Medicine. Osmond poured her lifetime of experience into the country album, choosing the title because her music was her healer during some of the darkest moments of her life.

Marie Osmond opened up on The Dr. Oz Show Friday about her difficult struggles with weight, body image, and postpartum depression. She revealed she was only 9-years-old when her weight issues began. Marie explained that the stress of the entertainment industry was difficult to handle as a young child. As a result, she would often turn to food for comfort.

When Osmond was just 15-years-old, a producer from the Donny & Marie Show took her aside and told her, “You are a fat embarrassment to your family.” He went on to warn her that if she didn’t stop putting food into her “fat face” the show was going to be cancelled, and many people would lose their jobs. He then told her if she ever told anyone about the discussion, he would deny it and call her a liar. Marie Osmond said as a teenage girl, she believed his vicious lies and it led to her battle with bulimia.

Osmond said it was the painful death of her mother that prompted her to finally change her life and get healthy. Her mother’s own unhealthy habits led her to be overweight and develop diabetes. Sadly, she suffered a massive stroke. On her death bed, she asked Marie to not make the same mistake and do what she had done to her body. She told her daughter to take care of herself so she could be around for her own children.

Marie Osmond has kept the weight that she famously lost with Nutrisystem off for nine years. She shared some of her secrets for keeping it off, as well as some ways she maintains her energy. Marie said her biggest tip is to never skip breakfast. She said she eats blueberries every single day because of their massive health benefits. Osmond turns to aromatherapy for a quick burst of energy by rubbing peppermint oil into her palms, then cupping them to her nose and inhaling the refreshing scent.

Marie Osmond also opened up about her experience with postpartum depression. She was one of the first celebrities to publicly talk about the illness years ago, opening the door for others like Brooke Sheilds to follow. Osmond told Dr. Oz she was ready to drive off a cliff at her lowest point, explaining that at the time, she honestly felt like everyone was better off without her. Osmond urged anyone who may be feeling that same way to seek help because it’s a lie coming from the disease.

Marie also talked to People recently about aging in an industry that seems to be dominated by 20-somethings. She isn’t worried at all because she knows she’s only getting better with time.

“They say the music industry is a place for 20-year-olds, but I’ve been in the business for five decades, and I can tell you that that’s not true.”

Marie Osmond went on to say that all of her many life experiences helped her create new music. In addition to the challenges she discussed with Dr. Oz, she also has been through divorce and remarriage.

“Since my last album, I came out of a marriage [to Brian Blosil] and fell back in love with my first husband [Steve Craig] again after not seeing each other for 25 years. After all the life I’ve been through, I knew I had another album in me.”

Marie even has a song on Music is Medicine called, “Better All the Time.” She asked her friend and fellow veteran entertainer, Olivia Newton-John, to sing it with her. According to Osmond, you need some life experience under your belt “in order to sing something right.”

“You have to live to sing something right and we’ve both been through so much. Life can either make you bitter or better, this is a wonderful song about getting better.”

Read more about Marie Osmond in the current issue of People magazine.

[Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP]

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