‘Desperate Housewives’ Star Reveals 2-Year Mounjaro Journey
The actress called the medication a “game-changer.”
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty
Get a First Look
Sign up to receive news and updates from The Looker
By clicking "Sign Up" you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Actress Vanessa Williams, 62, credited her refreshed appearance to her two-year journey with semaglutide medication.
“It’s a game-changer,” Williams said of tirzepatide, a GLP-1 drug prescribed for diabetes and weight loss, in an interview with Hello! magazine. Williams noted that perimenopause and menopause led to difficulty with eating healthy.
“You feel out of control because you’re working out the same way, eating the same, and your body is not reacting the way it used to,” the Desperate Housewives star said.
Vanessa Williams on Hello! magazine's cover.
Hello! Magazine
The decision to turn to tirzepatide came from a desire to feel better inside and out, Williams said: “When I turned 60, I was like: ‘I want to be here for a long time, and I want to look my best. So what am I going to do?”
Tirzepatide is marketed in the United States as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight-related conditions.
In the cover shoot photographed by Andrew Woffinden, Williams poses in glamorous black gowns and suits among the lush decor at London’s lavish Broadwick Soho hotel.
Williams shared more traditional beauty secrets in the profile, too, including her go-to handheld microcurrent device. “[Ziip] was created by the make-up artist Melanie Simon, who I worked with when I was doing Desperate Housewives,” Vanessa explained. “She sent me one, and I’ve been using it for 15 years.”
Vanessa Williams attends The Black British Theatre Awards in London, England, on October 26, 2025.
Kate Green/Getty Images
Williams regularly gets skincare treatments, including P5 facials with dermatologist Dr. Sach Mohan. The P5 facial is so named for the five P’s it includes: polynucleotides, peptides, Profhilo (a hyaluronic acid), Pico Genesis laser, and PRF (platelet-rich fibrin). “I’ve done it three times and definitely see a difference,” she said.
The Ugly Betty actress also said she started perimenopause in her late forties, but recalled feeling a more dramatic shift upon entering her fifties. She’s now on hormone replacement therapy and has begun NAD+ injections.
Vanessa Williams, then 58, poses at the 49th International Emmy Awards on November 22, 2021.
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
“Science is amazing...I’m like, ‘What’s next? Bring it on!” she said.
Several celebrities have spoken about going on tirzepatide, including Rosie O’Donnell, 63, who hashtagged a photo of her onstage with “#mounjaro” and captioned it “I can’t believe this is me now,” in May of 2025. Comedian Amy Schumer, 44, openly documented her positive Mounjaro journey after experiencing adverse side effects from other GLP-1 medications.