EXCLUSIVEReal Housewives Of Dubai star Caroline Stanbury reveals why she really decided to use Ozempic as she hits back at critics who call her ‘too thin’

Caroline Stanbury has opened up about her Ozempic use and her love life with her younger husband Sergio Carrallo.

The Real Housewives Of Dubai star, 48, recently revealed how she used Ozempic earlier in her 40s to help her shed the kilos during a candid chat on her podcast.

Now, Caroline has given a further insight into why she decided to take Ozempic and brushed off public backlash around the controversial weight loss drug.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia, Caroline said she decided to go on the drug after putting on 18 pounds from two rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Caroline – who is married to footballer Sergio Carrallo – said she found it difficult to lose weight in her 40s so decided to use Ozempic to return to her previous weight.

‘I took Ozempic because I did two rounds of IVF when I was 44 to 45 [years old]. I put on 18 pounds, which when you’re in your mid-40s – I don’t care who you are, even an Olympic sprinter – it takes a lot more to lose weight,’ she shared.

‘Your whole metabolism has closed down. I’m not lazy by any means and I couldn’t lose it. I looked like I ate Sergio! I had fat in places I’d never seen in my entire life.

‘I took it to get back to where I was – not to lose weight to be thinner, to get to where I was when I met him, so I could maintain it.’

Caroline also brushed off the controversy around the increasing use of Ozempic, particularly among celebrities, as she described it as a ‘miracle’ drug.

Ozempic is a diabetes medication which is also being sold privately for weight loss, and celebrities including Sharon Osbourne and Amy Schumer have admitted to using the drug.

Addressing criticism of its use, Caroline shared: ‘I think Ozempic – used in the right way – is one of the best tools today has. Happy wife, happy life, happy person – why do people need to suffer through obesity or anything if they can have something at all that can help them?

‘I understand not living off it, I don’t think it’s a drug that you should be taking for the rest of your life but used in the right way, I think it’s the most powerful tool for anybody to make themselves happy.

‘If you’re depressed and you’ve tried everything – which a lot of people have – it is a tool to help you. I don’t understand why people are so dead against it. For me it has been a miracle, it came off and I’ve kept it off and that’s it.’

Caroline admitted she has been accused of being ‘too thin’ by trolls online since her Ozempic use, but insisted she has only returned to her weight from before IVF.

The reality TV star, who is gearing up for Monday’s release of The Real Housewives Of Dubai’s second series, also opened up about her decision to undergo a face lift.

Caroline splashed out $51,000 (£27,000) on a facelift in November and has now revealed her husband Sergio – who is 19 years her junior – was initially against the procedure.

A facelift helps improve the definition of the jawline as well as reducing the appearance of jowls and loose skin around the neck area.

Caroline shared: ‘[Sergio] didn’t want me to do it in the first place, he didn’t really know what a face lift was – he’s 29 years old, what man really understands that? They don’t teach it at school!’

‘But now, he’s like “this is amazing”, he couldn’t believe it. He was like “I didn’t want you to have it, I didn’t need you to have it, but now you have it, this is amazing, the best thing ever”,’ she went on.

Caroline admitted neither herself or Sergio were prepared for how she would look directly after the cosmetic procedure as she detailed the recovery process.

At the time, Caroline shared videos of her swollen and bruised face wrapped in bandages after the face lift, saying she looked like she had been in a ‘car crash’.

An emotional Sergio was reduced to tears upon picking her up from the surgery and Caroline has told how he initially felt like he had ‘lost’ his wife before her recovery.

‘I don’t think I was prepared for how I came out obviously. I don’t think anyone shows you those pictures, I had no idea I was going to come out like that, but it’s five to 10 days of your life, that’s it,’ she shared.

‘I don’t think [Sergio] was expecting at all the way I came out and they just handed me to him, that’s quite a lot of work for him. He didn’t know what to do with me, so at that time he was like “oh my God, I’ve lost my wife”.’

Caroline said she looked like she had an ‘alien head’ for 10 days but is now ‘over the moon’ with the results of her face lift and insists it was more than worth it.

‘I wouldn’t change having done it for anything, I love the results,’ she gushed.

‘I had my [face lift] just because I was getting old, it had nothing to do with Ozempic or loose skin because of Ozempic.’

Caroline went on to give an insight into her relationship with her younger husband Sergio and revealed how they keep things exciting in their marriage.

She described the ‘comfort zone’ as the ‘death’ of relationships and said their constant jet-setting around the globe helps to keep things interesting.

She said: ‘We travel so much and our business takes us all over the world and really never sitting down and getting too comfortable – I always say, the comfort zone is the death of relationships! We are so far out of it that hopefully this will be the best relationship ever.’

Caroline and Sergio recently moved into their dream home in Dubai, after living with her best friend Michael for three months, and are now planning to have a child.

Caroline – who tied the knot with Sergio in December 2021 – excitedly shared that they are currently looking for a surrogate to carry their baby after she underwent IVF.

‘We have a little boy on ice, which everybody knows by now. So we will see. We’re actually currently searching for a surrogate,’ she said.

Caroline, who was previously married to Cem Habib, also hit back at criticism of her age gap relationship as she insisted people are just ‘jealous’ of her romance.

‘We’re all told when we’re younger what we need and what society tells us that we should have, and as you get older, you realise that doesn’t really matter and all those rules don’t really exist,’ she said.

Addressing criticism of her and Sergio’s relationship, she added: ‘They’re just jealous aren’t they! Men have been doing it for years, so why can’t women?’

Caroline went on to gush over Sergio’s positive attitude towards life as she revealed what the best thing about being married to a younger man is.

‘The best thing is that life hasn’t bitten him, he’s not jaded. Maybe I see a bad day and he sees the sun. It’s like being married to Tigger,’ she shared.

Caroline was previously married to banker Cem for 15 years from 2004 until 2019 and they share three children – Yasmine, Aaron and Zac – together.

Caroline is gearing up for the release of The Real Housewives of Dubai’s second series on June 3, which will document her and Sergio’s move into their dream home.

She also teased that there will be some unexpected friendships blossoming on the hotly-anticipated series, after the explosive drama in the Hayu show’s debut run.

‘The first series was brand new, we were all getting to know each other and it was a new city so that’s always hard for people to get used to. The first series of any show is a difficult one,’ she said.

‘I feel like we’ve found our stride, so many changes our happening and I feel like it’s a completely different show almost, everyone is ready for it.’

Stream brand new The Real Housewives of Dubai S2 only on Hayu from June 3, the same day as the USA. New episodes are released every Monday.