lindita weight loss eurovision people

Last year she shared the limelight with the likes of J.Lo and Keith Urban while competing on American Idol.

Now, on the road to Eurovision 2017, Albania’s Lindita Halimi is once again sharing a platform with the stars — this time on the cover of People magazine.

The Kosovar Eurovision diva appears alongside Oprah Winfrey for their regular “Half Their Size” feature, which recounts inspirational stories of weight loss.

And she can rest assured that plenty of people will take inspiration from her, as People is America’s most-read magazine with a staggering 47 million readers. That’s a lot of eyeballs, y’all!

Lindita shared the news with her 53,000 Instagram followers on Wednesday, uploading a photo of the cover along with an ecstatic caption.

“Comes out this Friday…can you see me?” she wrote. “Omggggg, next to Oprah Winfrey? What? Thank you People for letting me share my story along with the other inspiring, beautiful ladies.”

In her interview, Lindita tells a story about how and when she decided to lose weight.

“My turning point was one day when I was riding to bus to school, I was 18, there was an older lady. I saw her looking at me and I guess she thought I was pregnant. She was kind enough to ask me if I want to take her seat and I felt really embarrassed. I started crying, and she asked me ‘Are you OK?’. I was like, ‘yeah, I’m just feeling like I’m giving birth, I’m in pain right now’. That’s when I realized that I have to do something or else it’s going to turn serious for me.”

The American media clearly know a star when they see one too, as Lindita also announced that she’s going to be live on ABC news tomorrow. In a Facebook livestream, Lindita says she spoke to the magazine about Eurovision as well. Get that publicity in, girl!

Many Americans are already familiar with Lindita’s dramatic weight loss story.

For her pre-audition sob segment on American Idol, Lindita discussed her weight loss and how she dropped 150 pounds en route to becoming a personal trainer. During Lindita’s audition, J.Lo remarked that she was singing “like a heavy girl”, to which fellow judge Harry Connick Jr replied, “That’s true. She didn’t lose that part.”

Speaking to wiwibloggs, Lindita said she wasn’t remotely offended by the comments, because the judges were simply saying she sang powerfully.

“Thank God I never lost the voice,” she told us. “I feel like I’ve had the same voice for whatever shape I’ve been.”

We love Lindita for speaking so openly about her experiences. Long live health! Long live Lindita!

Read more Albania Eurovision news here

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Leandrit Ferizi
Leandrit Ferizi
7 years ago

Good for her. Strong will

mawnck
mawnck
7 years ago

Guys guys guys … Oprah on the cover sells magazines. Lindita on the cover doesn’t.

Good for her, though – on every possible front. I guess I need to track down a copy of that magazine tomorrow, for my “Eurovision people in American magazines” collection (current population: 3). I wonder if the article has the “E” word in it?

mocosuburbian
mocosuburbian
7 years ago

woah
that’s really impressive
lindita is so likeable wtf

Pollaski
Pollaski
7 years ago

Good for Lindita, I for a fact know how hard it is to lose weignt, so awesome for her that she did so, and it really shows. Its a bit farfetched to think Lindita should be front and center though. She barely even registers as a celebrity- I’d never even heard of her until she won Albania (nobody really watches Idol anymore- there’s a reason that show’s getting cancelled) you might note that her name isn’t even on the front cover. Still, its cool to get into People, and I hope she enjoys it. But she’ll get far more exposure… Read more »

Official Månsters Association
Official Månsters Association
7 years ago

I’ve heard enough of Oprah and her weight loss story. Let’s hear more of Lindita and HER weight loss story!

fikri
fikri
7 years ago

umm this chick has a bigger bicep than i do. fml. good job tho!

James
James
7 years ago

It’s always either Oprah or Kirstie Alley when it comes to being the reigning queen of celebrity weight loss stories.

Adam
Adam
7 years ago

Good for her!

Avstriya
Avstriya
7 years ago

Oh dear, yet another mag that features Oprah’s eternal battle against food. We have heard all before…

They should have put Lindita front and centre instead.