Exclusive: ‘It’s not a shortcut to getting thin’ - Saira Khan reveals why ‘nutrition is key’ when using weight-loss medication and they’re not simply a ‘quick fix’

There’s no escaping talk of weight loss medication in 2026. ‘Skinny jabs’ as they’re commonly known are filling newspaper column inches on a weekly basis and, as of April, it was reported that at least 1.6 million people in the UK had tried GLP-1 injections in the last year. That number is only expected to rise - especially as, from this week, a capsule tablet GLP-1 has hit the market.

And yet the likes of Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy are still considered “controversial” - but “they don’t need to be,” says former Apprentice and Loose Women star, Saira Khan.

In an exclusive interview with woman&home, the businesswoman, who left the TV industry in 2020 and now runs her company SAIRA Skin full-time, explains that while she was originally “very sniffy” about weight-loss drugs, her experience has been “100% liberating.”

While many have turned to weight-loss medication as a “quick fix,” Saira, 56, makes it clear that wasn’t the case for her and it wasn’t a decision she took lightly. “It wasn't that I wanted to go on it. I was advised to go on it by my hormone doctor, Dr Susanne Hooper,” she tells woman&home.

“I felt that there was something not quite right with me. Not just the menopause. I was really bloated. I would sometimes eat just an apple and look about nine months pregnant. My attitude to life has always been, try and help yourself first - and I did, but I still didn’t feel right.”

Saira continues, “So I did a complete and utter MOT of what my body was doing and a blood test. We got the results back and Dr Hooper said, ‘You eat well. You strength train, but your physiology is going in the wrong direction. You're 5 '1, South Asian, your BMI is 29 and your cholesterol is going in the wrong direction, it's high for all the effort that you’re putting in.’ And so she put me on Mounjaro alongside eating 80g of protein and continuing to strength train three times a week.”

Revealing her initial reservations, the mum-of-two shares, “I was shocked [she was advising this]. Previously I’ve been very sniffy about them.”

“I'm one of these women going, ‘you shouldn’t need jabs,’ and you hear all the horror stories in the media, all the side effects, the Ozempic face. But she said, ‘I’m only offering this to you because I know you've already got your exercise plan in place, you eat well.’”

As we chat, Saira wants to make it clear that she did things the “right way,” explaining, “I think it's important to know that I went to a doctor, it's not like I went to Asda and just picked up medication.”

She adds, “It wasn't that I wanted to be skinny, it's that I actually needed to reverse metabolic problems in my body. It was through medical advice and tests.”

The presenter, who has partnered with Green Chef to launch the Nutrient Rich Network to help those on weight-loss journeys understand nutrition better, says that she was “straight up,” with both her family and social media followers when it came to taking the medication.

Right from the start, I told my husband, I told my kids… I lost followers [but] I don't want medication that can really help people to be a taboo subject.”

The star believes that transparency is key. “Unfortunately, I see people in the public eye who are on these drugs and say, ‘I'm just healthy eating,’ or whatever. It gives people the wrong ideas and makes it unachievable.”

She also makes it clear that going on the drugs without making healthy lifestyle changes, which is why she’s teamed up with recipe box company Green Chef.

“It's not just about taking the medication and Green Chef supports that. There is so much more to think about and so many things that could affect you negatively if you don't do it properly. Nutrition is the key.”

“But I ended up eating the same foods, it became really repetitive. Before the kids would say, ‘Mum, not chicken and salad again.’ But this week, with Green Chef, we've had steak, herb crusted salmon, and Beurre Blanc fish. It's wonderful and they're so easy and fresh.”

Through the campaign, she reveals she’s learnt “yes, you can have meat, but you can add some beans and other vegetables to increase the nutrients.”

However, she insists, “I'm not counting calories, I'm counting protein and fibre,” explaining, “That's a whole different mindset and as you get older, you need calories but they need to come from the right foods.”

work with Green Chef has “completely changed” her relationship with food. “Before, it was about guilt, control, restraint. It felt such hard work and it wasn’t normal.”

The former Loose Women panellist explains, “No matter how hard I’ve tried, I've been on diets, I couldn’t sit down with a cup of tea and not have a chocolate biscuit. I might not even need it, but it's a habit thing and it's about reprogramming that. “

“I had a lot of food noise. Some people can really control what they're eating. I love food and I found that difficult, but this medication has helped me.”

Proving that her weight-loss journey and establishing a healthier relationship with food is all about balance, Saira tells fans, “I still have a bit of chocolate or a little treat every day, but I know that I've had my nutrients.”

“And they’re the habits people need to implement if they want to maintain after reducing and ultimately stopping the medication. I just hope that more people start to do it properly and understand that the medication should not just be a quick shortcut to getting thin.”

As for how she feels now, the star shares that she’s “really starting to feel like myself again and feel better mentally.”

“I don’t weigh myself but my BMI is getting better, I've started to buy a few more clothes and also get into my old clothes.  Because I’m strength training, I'm toning up, becoming a bit leaner and I 100% feel much more confident in myself. When you're not bloated and you feel like you're eating well, it feeds every part of you. Your body, your gut, your mental health.”

She concludes, “I’m thriving now.”