Serena Williams joins Rho as patient ambassador, sets new standard for celebrity health candour

Serena Williams — 23-time Grand Slam champion, four-time Olympic gold medallist, and one of the most celebrated athletes in history  has stepped into a new role as patient ambassador for Ro, one of the leading direct-to-patient healthcare company in the US.

The collaboration is part of a multi-year campaign to normalize the use ofGLP-1 medications for weight loss and open conversations around health journeys. For the first time, Williams has spoken publicly about her own experience with Ro’s GLP-1 treatment, which she turned to after the birth of her children. Despite being known for discipline, resilience, and training, Williams acknowledged that postpartum changes left her struggling to achieve her weight goals through exercise and diet alone. Ro’s program, combining medical support and treatment, became her path to recovery.

Her candour matters in a cultural moment where celebrity transformations are scrutinised but rarely explained. In the West, Adele’s dramatic weight loss or the global chatter around Ozempic have already pushed body narratives into mainstream debate. In India, however, the tone is different. Drastic changes in Bollywood stars’ appearances often spark speculation — whether about rapid postpartum transformations or sudden slim-downs but few, if any, openly credit medical intervention. Public figures usually stick to generic mentions of yoga, pilates, or “clean eating,” leaving fans to fill in the blanks.

By naming Serena as its ambassador, Ro not only gains star power but also reframes the role celebrities can play in healthcare marketing, turning silence into advocacy. For Indian celebrities, who face equal if not greater scrutiny over their bodies, the move raises a question: will they ever embrace the same openness or will speculation continue to outpace honesty?