LOOKING at her daughter Bella, 19, prance around in her bikini, Michelle Lopez, 40, felt a deep stab of envy.
And then – to her shame – she made a decision which would change her life forever.
Michelle Lopez opens up about her shame at feeling envious of her daughter Bella
Michelle, who used to be a catalogue model, says she piled on the pounds after the birth of son in 2016
Michelle, utterly envious of the youthful glow of her teen daughter, decided to go on . It’s one of the so-called which have proved a lifeline for many across the UK.
Like millions across the UK, the weight loss jabs have proved a lifeline for Michelle, who is mum to Bella, 19, and Thomas, 10.
She’s been on them since May and has dropped from a size 22 to an 18 after shedding 2st 3lbs.
She buys it privately from an online pharmacy and, until August, it cost up to £160 a month.
But after US President ordered manufacturer Eli Lilly to for UK consumers, the cost has more than doubled to £330 – far more than she can afford.
It’s especially heartbreaking for social media marketer Michelle, because she had her heart set on becoming a size 10.
Her secret goal? To be as thin as daughter Bella.
Now, without the magic of regular , she feels a deep, unflinching resentment of Bella, who weighs 9st and is a svelte size 10.
“I love and adore my girl – she lights up my world,” says Michelle, from Ealing, West London.
“But there are moments when that love is replaced with a knot of jealousy.
“I feel like the Evil Queen in Snow White admitting I am jealous of my own daughter.”
Mother-daughter envy is sometimes referred to as the Electra Complex.
According to psychologist Terri Apter, author of Difficult Mothers: Understanding and Overcoming Their Power, a woman who envies her daughter may feel powerless in other areas of life.
“It can co-exist alongside love (as it does in siblings), but it marks dangerous relational territory,” she warns.
Michelle isn’t alone in turning to skinny jabs to reclaim her youth.
Research agency RAND says nearly one in five women have used in a bid to turn back the clock.
Michelle, who burst into tears when the price hike was announced, believes her jealousy is heightened because – like Bella – she too used to be much trimmer.
There are moments when that love is replaced with a knot of jealousy.
Michelle
“I was a catalogue model,” she says.
“After I gave birth to Bella I just pinged back into shape and into my size eight jeans.”
But after her son Thomas came along in April 2016, she piled on the pounds.
“My second was different,” says Michelle, who is 5ft 6in tall.
Bella, pictured, weighs 9st and is a svelte size 10
Michelle was left feeling ‘flabby and haggard’ over Bella’s envy-inducing body
“I craved creamy foods and chips.
“I found it harder to exercise and gained weight extra quickly.
“After giving birth I continued to ‘eat for two’ and because I was busy with a newborn, exercise was impossible.
“I went up to a size 18 and my slim, sexy self morphed into Mr Blobby.”
But it wasn’t until last December that Bella, who is studying to be a speech therapist, triggered a crippling pang of
“We were at a Christmas party and I’d spent £150 on a black bodycon dress to show off my curves. I even had my hair and make-up done to look extra glam,” says Michelle.
“Bella arrived late and as she peeled off her coat, I did a double take.
“Suddenly, my baby was an adult woman. She was glamorous and confident, with an envy-inducing body.
“It made me swell with pride, then buckle with envy.”
They say comparison is the thief of joy and that was certainly the case for Michelle.
“At that moment I went from being the belle of the ball to being bested by my girl,” she says.
“It is tough when a friend gets a makeover, but when it is your daughter, it cuts deeper.
“Suddenly I felt old, flabby and haggard.
“It’s something no mum wants to admit, but I’m envious of my girl and it makes me feel sick.
“She is now a beauty and I am the beast.”
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases.
Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK.
Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market.
Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight.
They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients’ sugar levels are too high.
Can I get them?
NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics.
Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure.
GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss.
Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk.
Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health.
Are there any risks?
Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients’ mental health.
Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines.
After losing faith in exercise as a means of shedding the pounds, Michelle decided to fast-track her weight loss with .
“I was sick of pretending I loved my curves,” says Michelle, who weighed 16st 9lbs when she started on the medication.
“I ordered my first month’s starter dose of 2.5mg after completing an online questionnaire.
“That first jab was like a magic potion. I lost 10lbs in a month and felt amazing.
“The next month my dose went up to 5mg and found I could fit into size 16 jeans.”
Bella triggered a crippling pang of jealousy in her mother
I know she’s not raging at me – she’s raging at herself and the ageing process, says Bella
Almost immediately, Michelle found her jealous streak fading.
“The jabs helped lessen the envy, letting me focus on what I want and giving me the confidence to consider a new career and go back to university.”
An American Psychological Association survey revealed three in five women have felt envious of another woman’s appearance or success at some point in their lives.
Now, rather than fight her envy, Michelle says she accepts it is a part of life.
“I realised jealousy is normal,” she says.
“If you are the mum of a stunning daughter, you cannot escape it.
“The feelings were fleeting, but awful, and were followed by guilt and shame.
“But the pain I felt didn’t make me an evil mother – it made me real.
“Although it haunts you, it is an everyday emotion and it’s okay for mums to feel it.
“Once you admit to it, you come clean about how you see yourself and your body.
“You know you will be criticised, hated and judged, but instead of guilt, it feels like a weight has lifted.”
I picked up that pen hoping to out-glam my daughter. But now the jab is my way of helping myself become a different me, with new goals
Michelle
Michelle also recognises she first turned to for the wrong reasons.
“I picked up that pen hoping to out-glam my daughter,” she says.
“But now the jab is my way of helping myself become a different me, with new goals.”
Since the price hike, Michelle has turned to “microdosing” Mounjaro to stretch out her remaining stash.
“Instead of the current weekly dose of 2mg, I now cut it in half and make a pen last for two months,” she says – despite expert advice to only use as they have been prescribed.
“If things are desperate, I can cut it into thirds.
“It’s safe because you always change the needle head.”
Michelle says she is even prepared to make financial sacrifices to pay for her medication.
“If I want to be the better me, I’ll have to work harder to pay for my jabs,” she says.
“I earn the extra cash with additional childminding shifts, so the family isn’t in debt.”
Despite turning a corner, Michelle confesses she’s still prone to an attack of the green-eyed monster.
“The pangs of jealousy are now fleeting, but they never vanish,” she admits.
“They are always there, lurking like a shadow.
“I’m jealous my beautiful teen daughter doesn’t need to use fat jabs like me.
“But thanks to Mounjaro, we are closer than ever.”
BELLA SAYS: 'MUM IS JUST BEING REAL'
“I understand Mum’s jealousy and I think she’s brave to admit her envy. It’s very Gen Z truth-telling of her.
“I know she’s not raging at me – she’s raging at herself and the ageing process.
“But she is stunning, kind and beautiful. And even I know my ‘Snow White time’ has a shelf life.
“If more mums were honest with their daughters, there would be less arguing, more acceptance and fewer dysfunctional families.
“I am glad my mum’s found a way to be real.”
