Pixabay A bottle of vodka.
A ”Dancing with the Stars,” alum gave fans an update following a rocky year that included a rehab stint.
Wendy Williams was a contestant on DWTS back in 2011. Since that time, she enjoyed her heyday as a talk show host, but in recent years she’s hit multiple bumps in the road. In 2020, she ended her 22-year marriage to ex-husband Kevin Hunter, and in June 2022, her talk show was canceled after 13 years amid rumors she was having health issues.
But Williams ended the year with a video update for fans.
Here’s what you need to know:
Wendy Williams Told Fans She’s ‘Happy to be Here’
In a video posted on her Instagram page, Williams sat on a couch and addressed her fans. The talk show queen wore a “How you doin’?” t-shirt in reference to her signature catchphrase. Williams was promoting her upcoming “The Wendy Experience” podcast by peddling themed merchandise to fans. Her merch includes t-shirts and hot pink “How you doin’?” pillows.
“Hey! Happy holidays! ‘Tis the season for the winter,” Williams, said in the video. “I’m just happy to be here and to be …well, happy to be here.”
Wendy Williams Recently Suffered Health Issues & Spent Time in a Rehab
Williams has been riddled with health woes over the past few years. In a June 2022 video chat with TMZ Live, she revealed that she had lymphedema and showed her swollen feet. According to the CDC, lymphedema is “swelling due to build-up of lymph fluid in the body. “ The swelling can develop suddenly or over a period of time.
Williams’ brother Tommy also shared that his sister was “struggling” over the summer, per The Jasmine Brand. “I’m very supportive of Wendy so I tried to keep things under wraps in terms of her health,” Tommy Williams said in July 2022. “She is fighting, she is struggling. She is working her way back to being Wendy. She is not the Wendy we all knew and it’s very sad, very heart-wrenching, very disappointing, and it’s very frustrating.”
In October 2022, The Sun reported that Williams was admitted for treatment at a Malibu, California rehab facility. A source told the outlet that Williams was “battling severe alcohol abuse mixed with serious health issues.” “She has had numerous doctors who have told her for years ‘If you drink, you’ll die.’ She never really wanted to stop and the people around her in New York have allowed her to keep drinking,” a source said at the time.
According to Page Six, Williams completed a nearly two-month rehab program for alcohol addiction. At the time, her rep told the outlet that Williams was “home and healing after being in a wellness facility since August.” In a statement, Williams told fans she was back and “better than ever.” A source told the outlet that Williams was drinking straight vodka ahead of her rehab stint.
Williams’ brother had also expressed concern over the people surrounding her when she was in New York. “The family is all down here in South Florida and Wendy is up in New York by herself,” he said earlier in 2022.
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