The family of “Love Island USA” star Melanie Moreno slammed Ozempic’s allegations after a fan discovered an old plus-size modeling video of her.
“Melanie is my little cousin and I can say it’s her!! And not Ozempic,” the TV personality’s cousin wrote via X, The Tab reported on Thursday.
“She worked hard to get the body she has now!!! She didn’t have any insecurities when she was plus size and she doesn’t have any insecurities now.”
“People are allowed to change, grow and become healthier without having to justify it,” Moreno’s cousin continued.
“Her confidence didn’t come from her size, but from knowing her worth. Support women at every stage, not just the version you’re comfortable with.”
Additionally, the reality star’s sister Steph Moreno also joined the conversation, writing in another social media post, “Mel’s sister is here.”
“Melanie always had very high self-esteem, even when she was plus size,” she continued in the Instagram video.
Melanie’s family came to her defense after critics on social media claimed she had taken Ozempic as she continued to have no access to her phone while filming Season 8 of Love Island in Fiji.
Fans also joined in to support Melanie, with one person commenting on TikTok: “You don’t like women who lose weight? Say what you want, but she’s worked hard for her body.”
“This makes me love her even more,” one person added, while another chimed in: “Still tea.”
Fans of the bikini store manager wanted to know more about her personal life and spotted a video of her rocking a cut-out pink swimsuit while walking the Pretty Little Thing runway at Miami Swim Week 2022.
Melanie previously opened up about her dreams of becoming a model in a 2021 interview with VoyageLA, revealing that she dropped out of college to pursue her goal.
“I saw everyone heading off to college and I thought that’s exactly what my parents wanted me to do,” she explained. “And even though college wasn’t my first plan, I still decided to go.”
“I loved being in college. I knew it wasn’t for me and I wanted to give my dreams a chance,” the Peacock star continued, explaining that she didn’t want to regret later not pursuing her dreams.
At the time, Melanie said her stepfather’s death inspired her to move towards her goals after going through her “darkest moments”, which included opening her own business, MORE SPORT STUDIO, a brand that brings “mental health awareness through fashion”.
“Then I was scouted by my current manager, Elizabeth. My biggest dream since I was 10 years old was to become a model,” she said.
“The main reason I gave up on my dreams was because I believed I had to look perfect to even get into the business. I thought I needed to look a certain way or have a certain body type. Little did I know I was wrong.”
“Love Island USA” airs on Peacock every day except Wednesdays at 9pm ET.
