Things haven’t always been easy for Marie Osmond. Her career kicked off in the 1970s, but before she really rose to fame, she struggled with fulfilling what people expected from her: specifically when it came to her weight.

“I remember being at The Andy Williams Show and overhearing executives saying, ‘Boy, those Osmond Brothers are so talented. Too bad they have a fat sister!” Marie, 59, recalled to Closer Weekly in an exclusive new interview.

Marie Osmond
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Soon after, a TV producer threatened her because of her weight. “I was taken to a parking lot at age 15 and told I was an embarrassment to my family and the show would be canceled if I couldn’t keep food out of my fat face,” she unfortunately recalled. 

When asked if she grew up with an unhealthy relationship with food, she replied, “Are you kidding? I was born into show business — that will give anyone an unhealthy relationship with food. All my life, I would take off weight on a fad diet and then put it back on. I had pretty much given up.”

Marie then opened about how she overcame the difficulty. “But Nutrisystem created healthier versions of the foods I like — pizza, ice cream, chocolate — and made them healthy enough to get the weight off while teaching you how to eat properly. They do all the work, all you have to worry about is eating. That’s the other thing: I used to be starving. I have never eaten so much food since I’ve been on Nutrisystem,” the proud mom shared.

Through all the ups and downs, though, Marie has learned one big lesson. “Pick yourself back up. It applies to everything: bad relationships, dark things that sometimes happen, people who take advantage of you or hurt you — everything! I believe in faith; I believe in hope; I believe in a positive attitude. I am not naïve,” she confessed. “I have lived through a lot of ups and downs. I really think the greatest gift we can leave our children is to teach them how to get back up after they fall down.” You’re such an inspiration, Marie!

For more on your Marie, pick up the latest issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now — and be sure to sign up for our newsletter for more exclusive news!