Jillian Michaels graces the cover of Redbook magazine’s October issue where she opens up about why she chose to leave Biggest Loser after 11 seasons and discusses her ongoing adoption of a baby from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
On the two years it’s taken to adopt a baby from the Democratic Republic of the Congo:
I’ve watched friends congratulate me on [starting] the process, get pregnant themselves, have a baby, and then their baby’s crawling. People are lapping me. My best friend just told me she’s pregnant, and of course I’m ecstatic, but I’m also like, Uhhh! [gestures stabbing herself]. Like, I want my kid to be playing with your kids! It’s just a nightmare.
On How she decided to leave The Biggest Loser:
I’ve wanted to be in daytime television for a long time, because that’s where you can convey a message. On prime time, it’s like Jersey Shore and The Desperate Housewives of Some Dumb-ass County. It’s just train-wreck television. And it rates. [On The Biggest Loser] I would have long conversations with contestants about unearthing stuff from their past, and none of it would air. They grunt, they cry, I’m like, “You can do it,” they say, “I believe in myself,” and the scene’s over.
On whether she tried having a child naturally:
Turns out I had PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). But at a young age, I didn’t know if I wanted kids, so I didn’t really care. Then I got older, and I watched friends go through IVF, with years of hormones and devastation and disappointment, and I remember thinking God wants something different for me. If I choose to pursue this path, I’ll adopt. And when I was finally ready to go for it, I thought, This is going to be so easy. I am such an a—hole. I had nooo idea. I mean you’re just waiting…If it’s not done by this November, I’m going to take my shot with foster care.
On advice to women on facing their fear of change:
They have to trust. I can’t tell you how many people tried to talk me out of leaving [The Biggest Loser]. Everyone. People are really fear-based, and many have this monkey-bar approach to life, like you can’t leave one spot until you’re holding on to the next monkey bar. But by going straight to the next thing, you never get time to reflect or to create space for what’s right.
To read the entire interview, the issue hits newsstands on September 13.
(Photo Credit: Sheryl Nields for REDBOOK)
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