For many years, Chaz suffered from obesity, and simply couldn’t thrive in his body. The turning point towards a healthier lifestyle came when he began his gender transition.
Instagram/Chazbono
”I would have never been able to do it before,” he told Oprah.
“I was too disconnected from my body, and to, you know – the dysphoria around, that I had with my body was too much to be able to have cared enough about to do anything like that.”
Inspirational weight loss
When Chaz first appeared Dancing With The Stars, he weighed 250lb – but the competition and all the ensuing practice made him lose weight, rapidly. That’s perhaps not so strange considering how much training and movement is required to succeed on the dance floor.
But it seems that Chaz continued with his new, healthier lifestyle even after the TV show. He has continued to lose weight, and new pictures of him show that he is far from the unhealthy weight he was at 10 years ago.
Unfortunately, however, the weight loss journey has not been entirely painless for Chaz. When you lose a lot of pounds, it’s not always easy for the body to keep up. As a result, Chaz has a lot of sagging excess skin.
Instagram/Chazbono
“It’s not fun, but it was worth it, because I look better now. I’ve cut out, you know, 99 percent of grains from my diet, ‘he revealed. ‘I pretty much eat vegetables, meat, fruit, nuts … My birthday is the one day of the year I’ll do cake,” Chaz told Extra TV.
“He did it all by himself”
His mother, Cher, has repeatedly praised her son’s courage and journey towards a healthier lifestyle.
”He did it all by himself. He made up his own mind and he did it. And it was like what — 85, 90 pounds. Wow! … I do not know if I’d have that courage.” Cher said in 2013.
Noel Vasquez/Getty Images
Chaz Bono partner
Chaz has grown up in the spotlight, and his dating history has often captured media attention. Many year ago, Chaz was linked to Jennifer Elia. The couple had been dating since 1999, and Chaz even proposed to Elia atop Seattle’s space needle.
However, their relationship was occasionally quite tumultuous. The couple went through a lot together; Jennifer Elia supported Chaz throughout his gender reassignment process and later expressed that she found her partner “more attractive” as a man.
Chaz Bono and Jennifer Elia arrive at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards held at Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel on April 17, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Caulfield/WireImage)
But, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Elia disclosed that coping with Chaz’s transition was challenging at times. She admitted to turning to alcohol again when he informed her of his final decision to undergo gender reassignment.
They couple separated in 2011.
”Chaz Bono and his fiancée, Jennifer Elia, have jointly announced that they have called off their engagement and are no longer a couple,” a rep said at the time and added: ”They leave this relationship with great love, respect and affection towards one another.”
After a few years, Chaz found love again. He entered into a relationship with his partner, Shara Mathes, starting in 2017. Sarah Mathes is a former child artist and social worker known for her roles in Hollywood. She became famous after appearing alongside Jason Bateman in the 1984 comedy series, It’s Your Move.
The show ended in 1985 and Shara has now left the entertainment industry. According to Daily Mail, she now works for homeless charity Housing Works in Los Angeles, California.
