by Nicki Gostin
Kelly Osbourne has surprisingly become the frontrunner on this season of Dancing With the Stars. But the reality TV star who became famous at 16 when she appeared on The Osbournes with her rock-star dad Ozzy, mom Sharon, and brother Jack has had her share of troubles. She’s been in rehab more than once for an addiction to prescription pills and tried to control her weight by using ADD medications including Ritalin. Fortunately, now she’s clean, engaged to model Luke Worrall and having the time of her life. She spoke to Pop Vox.
When you danced the first time on DWtS you made me cry.
Aw, thanks.
Did you know there was such a lady inside you?
No, I did not. What was surprising was I went through five and a half weeks of practice, and every single time I did it, I never, ever once did it as well as I did that night.
How much weight have you lost?
Well, I kind of plateaued recently. I’m starting to really build some muscle which makes you gain a little bit of weight, but about a stone (14 pounds).
Are your jiggly parts disappearing?
Me and Louis (van Amstel, her dance partner) were looking at my legs and I’ve lost about two inches from my thighs.
Do you feel amazing?
Yeah!
Why did you decide to do the show?
Because they’ve asked me for nine seasons. But I’d never really been clear-headed enough and I’ve never been willing to work that hard.
What changed?
I wanted to do something that scared me, that challenged me, something I’d never done before, something to take my life in a new direction. I’m turning 25 this month. I kind of went into this experience thinking I’d really, really, really have to prove to people that I was different, prove to people that I’ve changed and it kind of spoke for itself. Never in a million years did I think that this was going to happen, that people were going to perceive me in this way and be so nice.
You’ve been so honest about what you’ve been through. People are rooting for you.
I feel as a young woman in Hollywood, whether you call me a celebrity’s daughter, or a celebrity, you’re in a position where no matter what you do, people are going to find out. You can lie and pretend you’re Miss Perfect or you can be honest. People have problems, it's normal. People have issues, and its normal—everybody has them. Everybody has struggles. I know what I went through, millions are going through it and me being honest about it, how bad it got and how good my life is now, it helps people. I was sick of lying; I don’t want to lie anymore. I hate it when young women in Hollywood lie about what they do.
Obviously there is a genetic predisposition for you, but how much do you think the pressures of Hollywood contributed to your addiction?
I was doing drugs before the show started so it would have happened anyway but whether the progression of my downfall ... I do think it was set up a lot because of the media and the pressures of being so young and famous and not knowing how to deal with it.
Are you the first family member to be offered the show?
No, we all have. My mum really wants to do it but it’s almost impossible. She manages the whole family, organizes Ozzfest and she’s on America’s Got Talent so she wouldn’t be able to put in the hours.
Did you think ballroom dancing would be so hard?
Oh yes. All the dances are hard and I go into all of them knowing nothing. It’s all equally as challenging. It’s not like I know a few steps of the samba. I don’t know anything.
Are you eating really healthy now?
I will admit I’m definitely eating a lot healthier but I still allow myself the things I want. I’m just very careful with how much. I also make sure I get my fruit and veggies every day.
Isn’t it amazing how simple it is?
That’s the thing but it’s got to be a life change. It can’t be a diet.
Are you engaged or dating?
Engaged.
Got a wedding date?
No.
Good. Take it slow.
That’s the thing. Luke and I, we find it really confusing and baffling the way that people nowadays are so old-fashioned, they say, "You’re engaged, you have to get married, you have to get as much money as you can for the wedding photos." All that kind of stuff. Plus you know Luke is only 19 years old. We can be engaged for as long as we want to be. We just know that eventually we want to marry each other and it doesn’t have to be now at all. What’s the point of getting married now if he can’t even f---ing legally drink? It’s ridiculous.
Are you nervous about maintaining your weight when the show finishes?
Yeah. I worked so hard for it I’m not going to let it go. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I really enjoy dancing. I went to one of Louis’s workout dance classes which was amazing. I’ve never sweated so much in my life.
Will you ever do another series of The Osbournes?
No! We tried working together again on Osbournes Reloaded but it was so edited we made the decision with the network not to continue it. We also discovered that we argue a lot more when we work together and we’ve done our thing as a family. We were great and fantastic and instead of finishing when people are like, "Yech, why are these old farts still on TV?!" we finished with them still wanting more.
What are you plans after the show?
I want to go to Broadway. I played Mama Morton in Chicago on the West End in London.
