Sheryl Lee Ralph Reveals Why She Slimmed Down Without Weight-Loss Drugs: 'If That Would've Worked, I Would Have' (Exclusive)

Sheryl Lee Ralph attributes her youthful appearance to a positive attitude and self-care.

“The whole idea of ​​eternal youth is mental, physical and spiritual. I carry my joy,” the Abbott Elementary School star, 69, says in the PEOPLE cover story.

Still, Ralph admits, she recently kicked her healthy lifestyle into high gear for a number of reasons. “On Abbott cameras are all around,” she says of filming the ABC hit. “One time I got a butt shot and I was like, ‘Oh, hell no!'”

Later, when she went to the doctor for a check-up, “the doctor said, ‘You’re obese on the inside,'” she says. “I said, ‘What?'”

Sheryl Lee Ralph.

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Despite the many popular weight loss drugs on the market, Ralph says she decided to lose weight without drugs. “I’m not judging,” she says of those who turn to drugs to lose weight.

Sheryl Lee Ralph Explains Why She and Her Husband Never Lived Together: ‘He Has His Life, I Have Mine’ (Exclusive)

“If I could do it, I would,” she adds. “I would do anything to have the best possible health.”

Sheryl Lee Ralph.

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But her doctor’s orders were simple. “He said, ‘Change the way you eat, exercise, drink water,'” says Ralph. “When doctors tell you these things, you have to do it. Because there are certain things like fresh air, sunlight, these are very good remedies. Very good medicines.”

She continues, “Your health is your greatest asset, and too many of us don’t pay attention to it until it’s gone.”

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Sheryl Lee Ralph.

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On top of her new look, her daughter Ivy Maurice aka “Coco”, a stylist, is in charge of her wardrobe. “She helps me rise from the ashes like a phoenix of fashion and style,” says Ralph proudly.

And don’t expect any other extreme changes from Ralph anytime soon. “My face is my face,” she says of why she never thought about plastic surgery. “That’s my choice. Does anyone else want to do something to their face that works for you? Will you.”

Sheryl Lee Ralph.

Obidigbo Nzeribe

But, she says, “Who knows. That might change when I’m 80… I tell everybody, ‘Do what you need for yourself. You want that filler, baby? Get the filler. You want that injection, baby You need that facelift, come on, you feel good.’ I am not their judge.”

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Source: HIS Education