US reality star Peppermint steps out after 45kg weight loss

This US reality star says she was forced to take drastic measures after she received a worrying health warning from her doctor.

Former RuPaul’s Drag Race star Peppermint has lost an astounding 45kg.

The performer, who was the runner-up on the ninth season of the reality competition series in 2017, told Page Six at the Love Rocks NYC red carpet last week that she lost weight after she was “diagnosed as pre-diabetic a couple of years ago.”

Peppermint, 45, admitted she has struggled with her weight over the years and tried to “deal with it through diet and exercise” but “wasn’t that successful.”

Peppermint underwent a dramatic slimdown after a warning from her doctors. Picture: Jamie McCarthy/Getty

And so, the entertainer decided to seek medical help to curb her pre-diabetes diagnosis.

Peppermint said she has noticed her massive weight loss because her “clothes are fitting differently” and she has “had to buy some new” options for her wardrobe.

But the most important thing for the reality star, who also competed in a US season of The Traitors, is that she is no longer pre-diabetic.

“I was really worried that my life was going to change irreversibly once I crossed that threshold,” she explained. “I was hovering around that threshold for so long, and I’m happy that I’m not now.”

Peppermint on the red carpet last week … Picture: Jamie McCarthy/Getty

… and at a 2018 event. Picture: Kelly Sullivan/Getty

Therefore, Peppermint said slimming down has not changed the way she feels about herself.

“I feel like the same person,” she said before noting that one benefit is feeling “younger.”

“I feel like I can walk up the steps a little easier and not be like, ‘Oh, my knee!’”

The singer, who is transgender, also lamented that she is not sure how much longer she will have access to healthcare due to the current administration targeting her community.

Peppermint in 2022. Picture: Randy Shropshire/Getty

“It’s a rough time, certainly, feels very heavy,” she shared, adding, “I don’t want to lose access to my healthcare or my housing, and I don’t want to be persecuted for being trans. This is who I am.”

Peppermint was just one of the bold-faced names at the Love Rocks NYC concert. Other celebs, including Amy Schumer, Susie Essman, Bill Murray and Tracy Morgan, saw a cavalcade of performers help raise more than $US4 million for God’s Love We Deliver.

The star-studded line-up included Alicia Keys, Beck, Cher, Kate Hudson, Peter Frampton and Dave Stewart.

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission.

Originally published as US reality star Peppermint steps out after 45kg weight loss