Heather Gay does not fear conflict or the truth The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City — and when it comes to her own life and weight loss journey, she’s just as open.
After rising to fame as one of the original Housewives of the Utah-based Bravo series in 2020, Gay revealed in November 2023 that she was using Ozempic to help lose weight.
Although she claimed at the time that she hadn’t seen “massive results,” Gay revealed in November 2024 that she had lost 25 pounds with the help of GLP-1.
Gay gained confidence — and was able to expand her wardrobe — amid her weight loss, but it also led to backlash. A few RHOSLC fans wondered if Gay became “meaner” after her weight loss, which she refuted in Us every weekIt is Reality TV Stars of the Year issue published in October 2025.
“I’m as outspoken now as I was when I was 30 pounds heavier, and somehow it seems harder, I think, when the package isn’t as innocuous,” she joked.
In January 2026, Gay exclusively told We“I feel healthy every day. I feel like I’m taking care of my body. And my whole life I’ve just tried to work with my body.”
Scroll down to see everything Gay said about his weight loss journey, using GLP-1 and changing his body:
Take the Ozempic train
“[I’m] on the Ozempic train,” said Heather Gay People in November 2023. “I’ve been working on it for a long time, but I haven’t really seen a lot of results. And I haven’t had massive results, but enough for people to notice, which is great.”
She noted that even after seeing a slight drop in her weight, she noticed a change in how people perceived her. “You lose five kilos, people are nicer to you,” Gay said, adding that it was a “discouraging” thought.
“It’s the way the world works and it makes me sad for women. But I’m happy I lost five points,” she said.
Heather Gay.
Maya Dehlin Spach/Getty ImagesAlways a queen of self-love
In a February 2024 meeting with ABC News Deborah Robertsthe journalist told Heather Gay that after representing “body positivity,” some women said her use of GLP-1s was “kind of a cop-out.”
Gay outed in docuseries IMPACT x Nightline: The skinny confessions: after Ozempic hosted by Roberts that she had heard people claim she was “burned out” and no longer “relevant” because she was using medication to help her lose weight.
“It’s disappointing [and] It’s sad to know that body positivity was just a big lie,” Gay confessed. “Because it’s better not to be overweight.”
Gay explained that she tried to block out the haters and focus on her own journey.
“I’m old enough to know that I wasted many years blaming myself and feeling guilty and ashamed about my lack of ability to be thinner,” she shared. “And if I had known there was a drug that would make me lose weight with little to no effort, I would have taken it 30 years ago and probably would have had a different life.”
Heather Gay was in high spirits on a flight with her Real Housewives of Salt Lake City castmates following her recent weight loss. Gay, 49, was spotted with co-star Whitney Rose on a Delta flight on Wednesday, April 24, according to social media photos shared by another passenger. “My friend is on a plane […]
Denying ‘Mean Girl’ Allegations
During the RHOSLC season 5 reunionairing in January 2025, a fan insinuated that Heather Gay’s “edge” came from her recent weight loss. “Can you see how much energy you’ve given the mean girls this season?” the fan asked, which took Gay by surprise.
“I mean, it’s just an interesting read,” Gay responded. “I guess when I was heavier, I was more of an underdog. So it was good when I held my own. Season 1, Heather had a lot more confidence than this girl.”
She continued: “This show strips you of your ego. It strips you of your confidence. When I was heavier, I had to fight a lot tougher battles and I was a lot meaner.”
Mary Cosby “I just feel like Heather is different. She loves herself more. She pours more love into herself. I feel like when I first met Heather five years ago, she was very dark, she wasn’t happy. She was trying to get out of a very deep place that she had been left in by the one who had ridiculed her, the one who had torn her down.”
Gay admitted that losing weight changed his confidence. “You have to have a lot more confidence to show up when no clothes fit. I’m wearing a stretchy jumpsuit, I’m next to all these beautiful women,” she explained. “I have confidence in Pique to do this whole show.”
Gay then noted, “I don’t want this to make me meaner. I’m different, but that has nothing to do with the fact that I took medication that made me lose weight.”
Heather Gay.
Fred Hayes/BravoSkinny, but not bitchy
Heather Gay faced backlash after losing weight, with some fans RHOSLC claiming she was meaner now that she wasn’t as heavy. Gay, however, exclusively told We in the October 2025 Reality TV Stars of the Year problem which was not the case.
“Any time a pretty girl stands up for herself, she’s a bitch. And when you’re heavier and you start with comedy and self-deprecation, you’re a lot less threatening,” she explained.
Gay noted, “I have a lot more boundaries now than I did then, and I’ve also been really burned by the women on this show and my friends.”
She admitted to being “meaner” to co-star Bronwyn Newport when she joined the cast than she would have been in season 1 “because I got burned, and it changes the way I’m with people.”
Gay added, “And I think I still like to make friends, and I still try to lead with kindness. But certainly the last six years have hardened me a little bit, and I’ve become a little more cynical, and I like to think a little more wisely about the ways of the world.”
Heather Gay.
Courtesy of Heather Gay/InstagramNo shame in her cosmetic surgery game
“The pursuit of perfection is never completely possible, just like it’s not possible to be completely hairless,” Heather Gay said. Hustle in November 2025. “Including everything I did, I probably spent $200,000 on physical appearance – and it was worth every penny.”
The TV personality revealed that “once she had the money and time” she began undergoing procedures that helped her feel better about her appearance.
“I always said I’d be a lot cuter if I was richer,” she joked. “I’m richer now – and I’m so much cuter because of it.”
Real Housewives such as Kyle Richards have been asked if they use the diabetes drug Ozempic to lose weight. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star sparked speculation about drug use after debuting her slimmed-down figure in January 2023 via a bikini selfie. Richards then explained how his decision to cut down on his drinking […]
The Beauty Lab + Laser founder revealed she does Botox treatments “quarterly” and does lip fillers “once or twice a year – if that.”
“I also get fillers, facials and laser hair removal,” Gay explained. “Another treatment I get is Sculptra, which is a collagen stimulator, with big, long needles on the face. It’s quite intense, but it’s not a real filler; it’s just a filler stimulant.”
Gay added that she’s already had two nose jobs and underwent a “mommy makeover” that included “a tummy tuck and a boob job” while she was still married. (Gay was married to Frank William “Billy” Gay III for 11 years before splitting in 2011. The exes share three daughters.)
Heather Gay.
Charles Sykes/BravoSeason 4
Heather Gay said Hustle in November 2025 that she had a “glow-up” before filming season 4 of RHOSLC.
“I didn’t realize the importance of beauty, or the way I was perceived. I think before, I was more self-deprecating and less threatening,” she recalls. “My jokes didn’t seem as harsh. My readings didn’t seem as mean. I just didn’t see the difference, because I never looked like that.”
GLP-1s aren’t going anywhere
Heather Gay exclusively told We as of January 2026, she had no plans to eliminate the use of GLP-1 while using Atkins products to maintain her weight.
“I think it’s part of my daily routine, in that I have, you know, nutritional choices to support it,” the reality star said of the weight-loss drug. “It’s working for me and I’m just grateful to be here.”
Gay explained that in addition to GLP-1, she eats Atkins shakes and bars to get the right amount of protein daily.
“It’s been an incredible partnership for me. I have red Atkins nails, which shows how much I’ve absorbed it into my life,” she joked. “It’s a new chapter for me, like being comfortable in my body, maintaining my weight and paying so much attention to it.”
She revealed: “I wasn’t going to become a naturalist. I am who I am and I really needed snacks and foods that would help me maintain this new lifestyle. [and] match what I want to eat and what I like to do. And keep things real to me.
Heather Gay.
Clifton Prescod/BravoPut yourself first
“I just thought I had to accept how I looked and where I was and there was nothing I could do about it. I felt absolutely helpless,” Heather Gay confessed to We in January 2026. “I’ve tried every diet in the book. I’ve always been aware of [my size]. If I wasn’t aware of it, other people made me aware of it.
THE Bad Mormon The author said she was going to be “ashamed” for using GLP-1 or not losing weight, so she chose the weight loss drug.
“I want to use this platform to help other people realize that, first of all, it’s not impossible [to lose weight]. And secondly, there are things that can really support you along your journey,” she concluded.
