Reality star Cynthia Bailey reveals how she regained self-confidence

Reality TV star Cynthia Bailey has opened up about her weight-loss journey.

Cynthia Bailey has regained her confidence since embarking on her health journey.

The 59-year-old reality star admits that her fluctuating weight has taken a toll on her mental health over the years, and Cynthia has recalled being caught off-guard by menopausal weight gain.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta star told People: “I tried to diet, I had a trainer, I was working out. I was definitely making the effort.

“But when I got to this one particular crossroad after menopause, I just could not fix it. And that was really frustrating for me as someone who is a little bit of a control freak.”

Cynthia felt a lot more self-conscious when she put on weight.

The TV star struggled to deal with some of the hurtful comments that she read on social media at the time, too.

She said: “My fans, they’ve been with me since I was modelling. So they’ve seen Cynthia the model, Cynthia the reality star, Cynthia the actress. And the comments on social media are like, ‘Oh wow, she needs to lose weight. She looks a mess. She really let herself go. What happened to her?’ I read all those things and, you know, it’s hurtful.

“I’m still human. And I found myself agreeing with some of the comments.

“As someone who lives their life in the spotlight, I was actually starting to lose confidence. I was finding myself not wanting to do the red carpets anymore. I just kind of wanted to be more in the background, trying to hide the weight. Even watching myself back on TV being 30 to 40 pounds heavier, it was hard.”

Cynthia was eventually prescribed a GLP-1 medication to assist in her weight-loss journey, and she admits that it’s changed her life.

Cynthia – who began her modelling career as a teenager – said: “I just wanted to feel good again and I wanted to look good again. And I’m not afraid to say that. I feel like when you look better, you feel better.

“I knew I needed to first get on a program because for me, it was about being able to maintain a certain weight once I got there as opposed to losing weight quickly.”