Kathy Bates 'Was in Tears' as She Finally Fit into a Stunning Armani Gown After Losing 100 Pounds

The 2024 Emmys proved to be a significant milestone for veteran actress Kathy Bates, who for the first time in quite a while 'was able to go' to Giorgio Armani and choose a dress that fit her. Bates exclusively told People that she and her friend who accompanied her to the fitting 'were in tears because everything I came out in just looked exquisite.'

The Matlock actress, who lost over 100 pounds in seven years, continued, "The pictures on the red carpet were so different from any pictures I'd ever had taken... I just felt so relaxed and ready. I knew I felt great, and I looked great. We had a wonderful little skit with Antony [Starr] and Giancarlo [Esposito]. It was a lovely night. That evening was really special."

Bates went with a deep purple dress embellished with black beads. The Oscar winner explained that she changed her diet and lifestyle to shed 80 pounds during the previous seven years. She also shared that on Ozempic, she went on to lose an additional 20 pounds. “There’s been a lot of talk that I just was able to do this because of Ozempic,” Bates told People previously. “But I have to impress upon people out there that this was hard work for me, especially during the pandemic. It’s very hard to say you’ve had enough.” 

The Fried Green Tomatoes actress was initially motivated to take her health seriously after receiving a type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2017. “I ate because I was afraid, and I ate because it was a FU to my self-esteem,” she revealed. “[Diabetes] runs in my family, and I'd seen what my father had gone through. He had had a leg amputation. One of my sisters is dealing with it very seriously, and it terrified me. It scared me straight."

But the iconic performer also further shared about taking health advice from her niece: pushing the plate away when she felt full. Bates also added, “I used to eat terribly: burgers and Cokes and pizza,” but she changed her diet and eventually stopped eating after 8 pm. “We’ve been having trucks come to the lot over at Paramount to thank the crew, and yesterday we had Pink’s Hot Dogs,” she joked about her occasional indulgence. “Oh, my God, I hadn’t had a hot dog in such a long time." 

Furthermore, Bates also revealed, "That's going to be my next thing that I'm worried about because I won't be on set running back and forth," while discussing her fitness exercise regime. "I have a treadmill here at the house, and I might try Pilates. People always ask, 'Don't you want a trainer?' No, I really don't. I don't want anybody over my shoulder. It's just very important to me to keep this going. I don't want to slip."

“I don’t have to sit down. I can stand up all day long and walk and move and breathe and do so many things that I couldn’t before," Bates said while describing the benefits of her weight loss. She also noted that it helped with the symptoms of her lymphedema. "It's been a tremendous benefit for me," she said. "I'm lucky that I don't have to wear my compression sleeves every day. It's such a thrill to be able to put my arm into a jacket and it fits," Bates concluded.