SERENA WILLIAMS showed off her incredible figure in a cut-out swimsuit.
The tennis great, 44, dazzled on the front cover of Porter as she featured in the magazine’s flagship story for the latest edition.
Williams has previously opened up about her use of weight-loss medication, including jabs.
She has lost more than two stone – approximately 31lbs.
And after constantly having to deal with comments and criticism about her physique throughout her legendary career on the court, she is embracing a new-found confidence.
Williams put it on display with a stunning photoshoot for the magazine.
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That included rocking a series of fashionable outfits.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner wowed in the swimwear and heels beside a swimming pool.
Other snaps showed her in a black leather jacket and tights and another in a black figure-hugging dress.
Mum-of-two Serena told Porter: “It was hard because when I was playing in the beginning – the first 15 years – my body was different.
“I had big boobs, I had a big butt.
“Every athlete was like super flat, super thin and beautiful, but in a different way. And I didn’t understand as an athlete how to deal with that.
“It does affect you mentally. Absolutely. You think you’re large for your whole life and you look [back] and you’re like, I was fit.
“Yeah, I had big muscles. I didn’t look like these other girls but not everyone looks the same.
“When I was 17, when I won the US Open for the first time, I decided I’m never going to read anything about me. Growing up and being black in tennis, it’s just like, well, that comes with negativity.
“[Now] I’m not going to let anyone bring me down, I put enough stress on myself. The last thing I’m going to allow is someone else to do that.
“But I’m so happy that girls nowadays don’t have to go through it as much. I mean, I think internet trolls are different. So, you have that to deal with…
“I want to leave behind anxiety, doubt and second-guessing myself.
“I want to bring in more clarity, confidence that I made the right decisions and that you don’t always have to live only for your children. I’m discovering me again.”
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases.
Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK.
Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market.
Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight.
They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients’ sugar levels are too high.
Can I get them?
NHS prescriptions of Wegovy is controlled through specialist weight loss clinics, while Mounjaro is available from GPs but only for the highest risk patients.
For Wegovy, a patient will typically have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. They will be expected to have tried diet and exercise already.
Mounjaro is available from NHS GPs for weight loss but only to a tiny group of patients, with the rollout starting with those with a BMI higher than 40 and with four weight-related health conditions.
Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk.
Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health.
Are there any risks?
Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients’ mental health.
Williams and her Reddit-founder husband Alexis Ohanian welcomed their first daughter Olympia in September 2017.
Their second baby girl, Adira, arrived in August 2023.
But after struggling to lose weight naturally following her pregnancies, Williams decided to use Ozempic-like jabs to cut down, using GLP-1 medications.
She has become a celebrity ambassador for Ro, the telehealth company behind the Zepbound weight loss jabs she used.
The seven-time Wimbledon winner explained: “It was so hard after I had Olympia.
“I was literally on the court every day, doing nothing else.
“I had been the ultimate super-athlete, always in competition and being super-healthy my entire life, but I just could never get back to where I needed to be, no matter what I did.
“My whole life is being in the gym, working out, running, training, HIIT training, dancing, every single thing you can think of.
“I would always get to a certain point on the scale, but I could never get below that. That’s when I decided that it was time to try something different and got on the GLP-1 with Ro.
“I was putting in the work.
“I actually think it’s a problem a lot of other women can relate to, that you are in the gym and eating healthy, but just can’t get to the level you want or need to. I feel lighter mentally, I feel sexier, I feel more confident.”
Williams said that medication has made her feel “more like her old self”.
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