“I Wasn’t Shocked”: Kelly Clarkson Opens Up About Weight Loss And Pre-Diabetes Diagnosis

Kelly Clarkson, the 41-year-old host of The Kelly Clarkson Show, recently shared the story behind her significant weight loss journey, revealing that it was motivated by her pre-diabetes diagnosis a couple of years ago.

During a Monday episode of her talk show, Kevin James complimented her appearance, to which she responded with honesty and humor. “Well, I was told I was pre-diabetic,” she chuckled. “That’s literally what happened… and well, I wasn’t shocked. I was a tiny bit overweight.”

Kelly continued, “But I wasn’t shocked by it. They were like, ‘You’re pre-diabetic. You’re right on the borderline.’ And I was like, ‘But I’m not there yet,’” adding a playful quip. “And then I waited two years and then I was like, ‘OK, I’ll do something about it.'”

Earlier this month, the American Idol winner shared with PEOPLE that her active lifestyle with her kids, 9-year-old daughter River Rose and 7-year-old son Remington Alexander, played a significant role in her journey to better health. 

“We go walk the dogs a few times at the park. We’ll go for ice cream because my daughter will wear me down. We’ll go make slime and we go to the museum,” the Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) singer revealed. “Walking in the city is quite the workout. And I’m really into infrared saunas right now. And I just got a cold plunge because everybody wore me down.”

Regarding her dietary choices, Kelly stated, “I eat a healthy mix. I dropped weight because I’ve been listening to my doctor — a couple of years I didn’t. And 90 percent of the time I’m really good at it because a protein diet is good for me anyway. I’m a Texas girl, so I like meat — sorry, vegetarians in the world!”

In November 2023, the singer openly discussed her weight fluctuations throughout her career on her show. “I love losing weight, but here’s the thing. Jeans are so hard when you have a butt and a smaller waist,” she told the audience.

Throughout her career, the talented vocalist has been candid about her weight loss journey. Even during her time on American Idol, she faced comments about her appearance. 

Speaking about it during a conversation with PEOPLE in November, 2017, she said, Even on American Idol, I was really thin, but I was bigger than the other girls on the show, so people would say things to me. But luckily I am super confident, so I’ve never had a problem with shutting people down and saying, ‘Yeah, you know, that’s just what I’m rocking. It’s fine.’”