Actress and director Gugu Gumede has inspired fans by opening up about her weight loss journey, sharing before and after photos that reveal her stunning transformation. Taking to her social media timeline, Gugu reflected on her decision to take control of her health and undergo a life-changing surgery last year.
“So glad to have made the decision to not give up on myself,” she captioned the powerful post, which showed how far she’s come since undergoing a vertical sleeve gastrectomy in January 2024.
Gugu first spoke publicly about her journey in May last year, when she returned to her YouTube channel and revealed she had lost 30kg in just four months. In the video, she shared her honest experience with weight loss surgery and explained the emotional and physical challenges that led her to that decision.
“After losing 30kg in four months, I’m finally sharing my honest experience with weight loss surgery,” she said.
The Uzalo star explained that after giving birth, she gained a lot of weight, especially when she stopped breastfeeding. She found herself struggling to control her food intake, and her health began to suffer. Gugu revealed that she was constantly tired, her feet were in pain, and her heart would pound so hard at night that it scared her.
“I got to this place where I was so unhappy. I was unhappy with the weight, and with how I felt physically. I didn’t feel good, my feet would hurt. I literally would go to bed at night and my heart would be pounding so much, and I was so scared because I had high blood pressure. I knew I was at high risk of becoming a chronic patient,” she said.
Determined to take back control of her life, she chose to go through with the gastric sleeve procedure — not as an easy fix, but as a tool to help limit how much food she could eat. Gugu stressed that while surgery may not be the right choice for everyone, it was the best decision for her health and happiness.
“It has been a very tough journey at first, but now I am not finding it difficult. I had a difficult three days about two weeks post-op. I struggled mentally because I was like, what in the world did I do to myself, did I ruin my life? I was seeing people binge eating on set and I knew I was never going to be able to do that again. But then I realised why I did this and realised what a beautiful gift I had given myself. I’m so much happier, I feel so much lighter, and my blood pressure is regulated. It’s normal,” she said.
Gugu’s journey is not just about losing weight — it’s about reclaiming her health and happiness.
