Credit: Ben Symons/Peacock, PrettyLittleThing/YouTube
Love Island USA star Melanie Moreno‘s family clapped back at accusations that she’s used Ozempic to drop weight.
The allegations came after fans found old plus-sized modeling videos of Melanie.
“Melanie is my little cousin, and I can tell you it is her!! And no Ozempic,” her cousin wrote on X, according to The Tab.
“She worked hard to get her current body!!!” they continued. “She wasn’t insecure when she was plus-size[d], and she’s not insecure now.”
Her cousin had more to say, noting that “people are allowed to change, grow, and become healthier without having to justify it.”
“Her confidence didn’t come from her size, it came from knowing her worth,” they added. “Support women at every stage, not just the versions you’re comfortable with.”
A before and after photo of Love Island USA star Melanie Moreno
Her sibling also commented under an Instagram post, writing, “Mel’s sister here. Melanie has always had very high self-esteem, even when she was plus-size.”
Fans also rushed to defend her, with one calling out critics for hating a woman for shedding pounds.
“Y’all can say what you want,” they continued, “but she worked hard for her body.”
@dannyjelaca @melanieelisaa for @prettylittlething- hair by me #fyp #viral #dannyjelacahair #BigInkEnergy #prettylittlething
Another shared that seeing older pictures of Melanie where her appearance was different made them “like her more.”
In a 2021 interview with VoyageLA, Melanie opened up about her desire to be a model, revealing she dropped out of college to pursue her dream.
“I saw everyone heading to college and knew that was exactly what my parents wanted for me,” she said. “And even though college wasn’t my number one plan, I still decided to go.”
“I loved being in college, I just knew it wasn’t meant for me and I wanted to give my dream a chance,” she added, revealing modeling had been her “biggest dream” since she was 10 years old.
“The main reason I gave up on my dream was because I had this belief that I had to look perfect to even get into the business,” she noted. “I thought I needed a specific look or a specific body type. Little did I know I was wrong.”