TLC
Doing Better! Where Is My 600-Lb. Life Star Irene Walker Today After Filming? 2024 Update
Irene Walker first appeared on TLC’s My 600-Lb. Life in 2021, where she opened up about her lifelong struggle with obesity. Fans are eager to know what the reality TV alum is up to now after her time on the series.
Who Is Irene Walker From ‘My 600-Lb. Life’?
Irene was 39 years old when she first appeared on season 9 of My 600-Lb. Life. She revealed that she had a “love for food” early on as a child and continued to use eating her favorite things as a coping mechanism.
“I never want the feelings that food gives me to stop, so I just sit and eat for the rest of the day,” she told cameras during the March 2021 episode. “Because food is how I survive, you know? It’s killing me in a lot of ways now. But for most of my life, it was what got me by. And If I didn’t have that, I don’t know what I would have done.”
At just 5 years old, Irene witnessed her father abusing her mother, which led her mom to leave the relationship, sending Irene into a deep depression. Food became a source of comfort for Irene, leading her to eat until she often threw up. While her close family members confronted her about her unhealthy weight, she said they also “enabled” her because they “always gave her food.”
By high school, Irene weighed 250 pounds and was often teased by her peers. By the age of 16, she found herself pregnant and in an abusive relationship. After giving birth, she gained more weight due to the “stress of having a child.”
Tragedy only continued to strike Irene as she lost her mother, father, her older sister and her aunt within the span of two years. After welcoming three more children within the decade, Irene turned to drugs at the age of 34 years old.
“That was my lowest point because all my addictions led me to lose my kids,” she recounted in a private confessional. “I had my four other kids, and someone reported me because of my addictions. So CPS came and took my three youngest and I was devastated.”
Irene sought out the show’s bariatric surgeon, Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, a.k.a. Dr. Now, to help with her weight loss, who called her state “concerning.” Dr. Now instructed Irene with a goal of losing 60 pounds to qualify for bariatric surgery.
While she initially struggled with the goal, a year into her weight loss journey, she finally qualified for surgery.
“I’m am very happy to see the turnaround with Irene, and that she’s finally taking responsibility after all this time,” the medical professional told cameras. “It’s unfortunate that it took what it did to finally wake her up but at least she’s taking the initiative.”
Where Is ‘My 600-Lb Life’ Star Irene Walker Now?
Irene doesn’t have a strong social media presence, but she occasionally updates her public Facebook account with photos of her face, making it difficult to gauge how much weight she has lost since appearing on My 600-Lb Life.
Irene shared she marked one year of sobriety in October 2023. “One year sober,” she captioned a selfie. “Thank you Lord.”
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