Kathy Bates arrives at the Australian Academy Of Cinema And Television Arts' 1st Annual Awards at Soho House on January 27, 2012 © Frazer Harrison

Matlock star Kathy Bates 'in tears' during Emmys dress fitting after 100lb weight loss

Kathy won an Oscar and is now back on screens

Rebecca Lewis - Los Angeles
Los Angeles correspondentLos Angeles
October 12, 2024

Kathy Bates has lost an incredible 100lbs in the past few years, and has now revealed how her health journey left her "in tears" when she was able to fit into a Giorgio Armani dress for the 2024 Emmys.

The actress, who returns to screens in CBS' new show Matlock, revealed that as she was trying on dresses with a friend, the pair were "in tears because everything I came out in just looked exquisite".

Speaking to People, she added that her experience on the red carpet was "so different" from any she had in the past, sharing that "the pictures on the red carpet were so different from any pictures I'd ever had taken on a red carpet".

© Amy Sussman

Kathy Bates attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2024

"I just felt so relaxed and ready. I knew I felt great, and I looked great… It was a lovely night. That evening was really special," she shared.

The 76-year-old has previously revealed that she lost the weight after receiving a lymphedema diagnosis, which stemmed from the double mastectomy she underwent post-breast cancer. 

© CBS

Kathy Bates as Madeline Matlock in the 2024 CBS reboot

She has battled cancer twice, after first being diagnosed with stage one ovarian cancer in 2003, and again in 2012, when doctors found a tumor in her left breast, leading to a mastectomy. 

There was also a diabetes diagnosis facing her, and she didn't want that to  become her reality, focusing on exercise, diet and mental health to make the changes.

© Francois Duhamel

Kathy Bates during filming of Primary Colors

"This is the best health I've been in in years, and I'm so grateful - it's a miracle," she said in 2019 after losing 60lbs, revealing that she learned new behaviors that helped her portion control: "After you eat for 20-30 minutes, you experience an involuntary sigh. It's communication between stomach and brain telling you [you've] had enough…and what I discovered is if you listen to that sigh and push that plate away for just five minutes, you realize you're satisfied, and you don't have to eat more."

In the years since she has continued to change her lifestyle, adding in the new interview that she lost her final 20lbs through Ozempic.

© Vinnie Zuffante

Kathy won her Oscar at the 63rd Academy Awards in 1990

"There’s been a lot of talk that I was just able to do this because of Ozempic," she said, insisting that it is important to her to "impress upon people out there that this was hard work for me, especially during the pandemic".

Kathy has had a storied 55–year career, and has won an Oscar for her 1990 thriller Misery, two Emmy awards and two Golden Globes. She also has an acclaimed theater career, with two Tony nominations.  

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