Kathy Bates revealed that she lost 100 pounds because her weight was beginning to affect her stamina and athletic ability.
In a recent interview with Variety , the 76-year-old actress, who plays attorney Madeline “Matty” Matlock in the CBS reboot of “Matlock,” reflected on how she was able to endure the grueling filming schedule that comes with starring in a broadcast TV show.
“I've lost 100 pounds over the last six or seven years, and that's helped me a lot,” the former “American Horror Story” star said.
Kathy Bates talks about losing 100 pounds. (Getty)
“I don't think I've been this slim since college,” Bates added.
Kathy Bates plans retirement after 'The Last Dance' reboot
Bates told Variety that she was at her heaviest in 2011 when she took on the lead role of lawyer Harriet “Harry” Cohn in the NBC courtroom comedy-drama series “Harry's Law.”
“I had to sit down as much as I could,” Bates recalled. “It was hard to walk. I'm embarrassed that I got so sick, but I have so much energy now.”
Bates said she reached her heaviest weight while appearing on “Harry's Law” in 2011 and found it difficult to walk. (NBCUniversal via Getty Images, via Getty Images)
During a 2019 interview with “Extra,” the two-time Academy Award winner spoke about her 60-pound weight loss and how her family history of diabetes motivated her to do so.
“I'm the healthiest I've been in years and I'm so grateful. It's a miracle,” she told the outlet.
“I'm embarrassed that I've become so unwell, but I have so much energy right now.”
“I was battling diabetes. There's a history of diabetes in my family and I really didn't want to live with it.”
In 2019, Bates revealed that she had lost 60 pounds. (Prince Williams/Wireimage)
Bates said her niece gave her valuable advice about controlling her appetite.
“After 20 to 30 minutes of eating, you'll start to involuntarily sigh,” Bates explains, “which is your stomach's way of telling your brain that you've had enough. … What I've found is that if you listen to that sigh and then put your plate away for five minutes, you'll realize you're satisfied and won't need to eat any more.”
In a 2019 interview with People magazine, Bates said that losing 60 pounds helped ease the symptoms of lymphedema, which she developed after battling cancer.
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“I feel great,” she told the outlet, “I've lost a lot of weight so it's a lot less painful. I just have to wear a compression sleeve and be careful with cuts and insect bites because they can lead to sepsis.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, lymphedema is swelling in the arms and legs caused by a blockage in the lymphatic system. Lymph node removal and cancer treatments are common causes of lymphedema.
The actress was diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer in 2003. In 2012, she Double mastectomy for breast cancer treatment.
Bates won her first Academy Award for her performance in Misery. (Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)
In an interview with Variety, Bates reflected on her 60-year career, saying that she got her Hollywood breakout role at age 42, playing the villainous Annie Wilkes in the 1990s film “Misery.” Bates won her first Academy Award for her performance in the hit horror film.
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“I'm not a pretty girl so I always thought it would take me a while to get into the industry,” she said.
“I have this mental wink when I see my friends who were pageant queens and are no longer working because of ageism, and it's precisely because I don't look that way that I've been able to stay in work for so many years,” she added. “If I'd been a pageant queen, I don't think I would have gotten the role in Misery.”
The actress currently stars in the reboot of “Matlock.” (Art Streiber/CBS)
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Bates seemed to confirm that her starring role in Matlock will be her final film.
“All of a sudden, everything I've prayed for, worked for, and held on to is being asked to be used,” she said. “It's exhausting.”
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“This is my last dance.”
In an interview with Variety, Bates revealed that she had been “considering semi-retirement” before landing the lead role in “Matlock,” but told the publication that she might never retire from the profession entirely.
“My friends say I'll end up like Molière and die in my chair on stage,” she says, “because to me, that's what gives me the strength to live.”
