Casey Donovan unrecognisable in first look at new musical Kimberly Akimbo after admitting new diet ‘isn't easy'
Donovan, who shot to fame after winning Australian Idol at just 16, returned to the stage as Aunt Debra in the new production which premiered at Adelaide's Her Majesty's Theatre on Tuesday.
The show, which follows a teenager with a rare genetic condition which makes her age rapidly, will transfer to Melbourne's Art Centre from 26 July for a month-long run.
The role comes hot on the heels of Donovan's successful national tour in Sister Act in the lead role originated by Whoopi Goldberg in the iconic film about singing nuns.
Donovan's weight loss was noticeable in new promotional material for Kimberly Akimbo shared via her official social media accounts.
The 36-year-old recently lost a significant amount of weight after overhauling her lifestyle, including the use of a GLP-1 weight loss medication Juniper.
GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Juniper help regulate appetite and are increasingly being used in medical weight loss programs.
The beloved songstress regularly shares updates with her followers about her weight loss journey, including her favourite healthy recipes to beat junk food cravings.
'This journey isn't always easy, but I've never had to figure it out alone,' Donovan wrote recently on social media.
'So grateful for the steady support from my @my.juniper health coach Emily.'
Casey's new gig comes after the singer revealed the moment she decided to embark on her health journey.
'I'm 36 now and I finally realised that, if I want to be healthy and fit at 40, I need to take some real and lasting preventative measures now,' she told New Idea magazine last month.
Donovan also told the magazine that she was hoping to start a family with her fiancée Renee Sharples in the 'semi-near future', revealing she was "in such a good place in my life right now".
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The Advertiser
17 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Shannol Noll opens up on losing his dad, the farm and making a difference
In the space of two years, Australian singer Shannon Noll suffered a double blow - losing his dad in an accident and then the family farm to drought. But through the tragedy, the Australian Idol runner-up now seeks to make a difference for those currently facing similar situations. Noll, whose hits include What About Me, Lift and Shine, grew up on a 4500-acre farm near Condobolin in New South Wales that had 4000 breeding merino ewes and cereal crops as well. "I left school and worked at the farm right up until we lost it right after we lost Dad in a farming accident," Noll said. "We tried to trade our way out of it. We planted the crop and it was the first two years of a 10-year drought. "So we failed two years in a row, and we sort of ended up getting pushed out by the bank." He said it was "a really difficult time". Noll will open up about and share with drought-affected farmers at a Sheepvention concert in Hamilton, Victoria, on August 3. He will also be part of a Let's Talk Foundation panel discussion at the event. He said he was no stranger to south-west Victoria, where farmers are suffering one of their worst droughts on record, having toured across much of the country. "I don't think there's too many spots I haven't toured over the last 20 years," he said. After losing the farm that had been in the family for 98 years, Noll picked up work on friends' farms shearing and crutching - something he did right up until he auditioned for the first ever Australian Idol. "Thankfully [I was employed] through their generosity - I don't know if there was a lot of work there but they gave us some anyway just because they knew my situation," he said. "I stayed working on the farm right up until I auditioned for the show." Noll said he distinctly remembered during the drought when his mate's five-year-old son saw rain for the first time. "I definitely know what it's like to be praying for rain," he said. "Rain means life, rain means future and rain means you can live to fight another day." Noll said he was looking forward to being part of Sheepvention and making a difference. "I'll definitely be sharing my experience in the hopes that we can help a few farmers that are on the brink or really struggling," he said. "I just think the biggest thing is getting rid of the mystique of thinking it's weak to talk about how you feel. "I think farmers are really prone to just carrying on and not wanting to burden anybody else. He said farmers "don't have to carry all the weight on themselves." Noll's top 10 hit Lift has helped many through a dark patch in their life, and its message is one that still resonates with audiences. "We all know our friends, and we all know when they're a little bit down," he said. He said if you see that happening with a friend or family member, just sit down with a coffee or a tea and let them talk. "Encourage them to get a bit of stuff off their chests because it does wonders when you can actually talk about things," Noll said. "It's a much lighter weight to carry when you share it around a little bit." Noll hit a rough patch after a back operation in 2012. "For the first time in my life I wasn't whole," he said. "I really struggled with that, realising I was never going to be the same again. "You slip into a place where everything is negative and you don't know how to get out of it. It's a really troubling thing. It just snowballs." To lift him out of the negativity, he booked 50 shows and hit the road. "At the time I wasn't making a lot of money out of touring but I just think the self-gratification of getting out and doing something and meeting people who enjoyed the show brightened up everything," he said. "Communication is my biggest thing. I'm a really open person. As for his music career, Noll will be performing 50 shows between now and the end of the year and has plans to soon drop his new single. "It's called What You're Made Of. It's a similar vein to Shine, Lift and What About Me. It's a positive message," he said. "That's exciting." Funds raised from the Sheepvention drought-relief concert will support the Let's Talk Foundation and go towards supporting local farmers and rural communities. In the space of two years, Australian singer Shannon Noll suffered a double blow - losing his dad in an accident and then the family farm to drought. But through the tragedy, the Australian Idol runner-up now seeks to make a difference for those currently facing similar situations. Noll, whose hits include What About Me, Lift and Shine, grew up on a 4500-acre farm near Condobolin in New South Wales that had 4000 breeding merino ewes and cereal crops as well. "I left school and worked at the farm right up until we lost it right after we lost Dad in a farming accident," Noll said. "We tried to trade our way out of it. We planted the crop and it was the first two years of a 10-year drought. "So we failed two years in a row, and we sort of ended up getting pushed out by the bank." He said it was "a really difficult time". Noll will open up about and share with drought-affected farmers at a Sheepvention concert in Hamilton, Victoria, on August 3. He will also be part of a Let's Talk Foundation panel discussion at the event. He said he was no stranger to south-west Victoria, where farmers are suffering one of their worst droughts on record, having toured across much of the country. "I don't think there's too many spots I haven't toured over the last 20 years," he said. After losing the farm that had been in the family for 98 years, Noll picked up work on friends' farms shearing and crutching - something he did right up until he auditioned for the first ever Australian Idol. "Thankfully [I was employed] through their generosity - I don't know if there was a lot of work there but they gave us some anyway just because they knew my situation," he said. "I stayed working on the farm right up until I auditioned for the show." Noll said he distinctly remembered during the drought when his mate's five-year-old son saw rain for the first time. "I definitely know what it's like to be praying for rain," he said. "Rain means life, rain means future and rain means you can live to fight another day." Noll said he was looking forward to being part of Sheepvention and making a difference. "I'll definitely be sharing my experience in the hopes that we can help a few farmers that are on the brink or really struggling," he said. "I just think the biggest thing is getting rid of the mystique of thinking it's weak to talk about how you feel. "I think farmers are really prone to just carrying on and not wanting to burden anybody else. He said farmers "don't have to carry all the weight on themselves." Noll's top 10 hit Lift has helped many through a dark patch in their life, and its message is one that still resonates with audiences. "We all know our friends, and we all know when they're a little bit down," he said. He said if you see that happening with a friend or family member, just sit down with a coffee or a tea and let them talk. "Encourage them to get a bit of stuff off their chests because it does wonders when you can actually talk about things," Noll said. "It's a much lighter weight to carry when you share it around a little bit." Noll hit a rough patch after a back operation in 2012. "For the first time in my life I wasn't whole," he said. "I really struggled with that, realising I was never going to be the same again. "You slip into a place where everything is negative and you don't know how to get out of it. It's a really troubling thing. It just snowballs." To lift him out of the negativity, he booked 50 shows and hit the road. "At the time I wasn't making a lot of money out of touring but I just think the self-gratification of getting out and doing something and meeting people who enjoyed the show brightened up everything," he said. "Communication is my biggest thing. I'm a really open person. As for his music career, Noll will be performing 50 shows between now and the end of the year and has plans to soon drop his new single. "It's called What You're Made Of. It's a similar vein to Shine, Lift and What About Me. It's a positive message," he said. "That's exciting." Funds raised from the Sheepvention drought-relief concert will support the Let's Talk Foundation and go towards supporting local farmers and rural communities. In the space of two years, Australian singer Shannon Noll suffered a double blow - losing his dad in an accident and then the family farm to drought. But through the tragedy, the Australian Idol runner-up now seeks to make a difference for those currently facing similar situations. Noll, whose hits include What About Me, Lift and Shine, grew up on a 4500-acre farm near Condobolin in New South Wales that had 4000 breeding merino ewes and cereal crops as well. "I left school and worked at the farm right up until we lost it right after we lost Dad in a farming accident," Noll said. "We tried to trade our way out of it. We planted the crop and it was the first two years of a 10-year drought. "So we failed two years in a row, and we sort of ended up getting pushed out by the bank." He said it was "a really difficult time". Noll will open up about and share with drought-affected farmers at a Sheepvention concert in Hamilton, Victoria, on August 3. He will also be part of a Let's Talk Foundation panel discussion at the event. He said he was no stranger to south-west Victoria, where farmers are suffering one of their worst droughts on record, having toured across much of the country. "I don't think there's too many spots I haven't toured over the last 20 years," he said. After losing the farm that had been in the family for 98 years, Noll picked up work on friends' farms shearing and crutching - something he did right up until he auditioned for the first ever Australian Idol. "Thankfully [I was employed] through their generosity - I don't know if there was a lot of work there but they gave us some anyway just because they knew my situation," he said. "I stayed working on the farm right up until I auditioned for the show." Noll said he distinctly remembered during the drought when his mate's five-year-old son saw rain for the first time. "I definitely know what it's like to be praying for rain," he said. "Rain means life, rain means future and rain means you can live to fight another day." Noll said he was looking forward to being part of Sheepvention and making a difference. "I'll definitely be sharing my experience in the hopes that we can help a few farmers that are on the brink or really struggling," he said. "I just think the biggest thing is getting rid of the mystique of thinking it's weak to talk about how you feel. "I think farmers are really prone to just carrying on and not wanting to burden anybody else. He said farmers "don't have to carry all the weight on themselves." Noll's top 10 hit Lift has helped many through a dark patch in their life, and its message is one that still resonates with audiences. "We all know our friends, and we all know when they're a little bit down," he said. He said if you see that happening with a friend or family member, just sit down with a coffee or a tea and let them talk. "Encourage them to get a bit of stuff off their chests because it does wonders when you can actually talk about things," Noll said. "It's a much lighter weight to carry when you share it around a little bit." Noll hit a rough patch after a back operation in 2012. "For the first time in my life I wasn't whole," he said. "I really struggled with that, realising I was never going to be the same again. "You slip into a place where everything is negative and you don't know how to get out of it. It's a really troubling thing. It just snowballs." To lift him out of the negativity, he booked 50 shows and hit the road. "At the time I wasn't making a lot of money out of touring but I just think the self-gratification of getting out and doing something and meeting people who enjoyed the show brightened up everything," he said. "Communication is my biggest thing. I'm a really open person. As for his music career, Noll will be performing 50 shows between now and the end of the year and has plans to soon drop his new single. "It's called What You're Made Of. It's a similar vein to Shine, Lift and What About Me. It's a positive message," he said. "That's exciting." Funds raised from the Sheepvention drought-relief concert will support the Let's Talk Foundation and go towards supporting local farmers and rural communities. In the space of two years, Australian singer Shannon Noll suffered a double blow - losing his dad in an accident and then the family farm to drought. But through the tragedy, the Australian Idol runner-up now seeks to make a difference for those currently facing similar situations. Noll, whose hits include What About Me, Lift and Shine, grew up on a 4500-acre farm near Condobolin in New South Wales that had 4000 breeding merino ewes and cereal crops as well. "I left school and worked at the farm right up until we lost it right after we lost Dad in a farming accident," Noll said. "We tried to trade our way out of it. We planted the crop and it was the first two years of a 10-year drought. "So we failed two years in a row, and we sort of ended up getting pushed out by the bank." He said it was "a really difficult time". Noll will open up about and share with drought-affected farmers at a Sheepvention concert in Hamilton, Victoria, on August 3. He will also be part of a Let's Talk Foundation panel discussion at the event. He said he was no stranger to south-west Victoria, where farmers are suffering one of their worst droughts on record, having toured across much of the country. "I don't think there's too many spots I haven't toured over the last 20 years," he said. After losing the farm that had been in the family for 98 years, Noll picked up work on friends' farms shearing and crutching - something he did right up until he auditioned for the first ever Australian Idol. "Thankfully [I was employed] through their generosity - I don't know if there was a lot of work there but they gave us some anyway just because they knew my situation," he said. "I stayed working on the farm right up until I auditioned for the show." Noll said he distinctly remembered during the drought when his mate's five-year-old son saw rain for the first time. "I definitely know what it's like to be praying for rain," he said. "Rain means life, rain means future and rain means you can live to fight another day." Noll said he was looking forward to being part of Sheepvention and making a difference. "I'll definitely be sharing my experience in the hopes that we can help a few farmers that are on the brink or really struggling," he said. "I just think the biggest thing is getting rid of the mystique of thinking it's weak to talk about how you feel. "I think farmers are really prone to just carrying on and not wanting to burden anybody else. He said farmers "don't have to carry all the weight on themselves." Noll's top 10 hit Lift has helped many through a dark patch in their life, and its message is one that still resonates with audiences. "We all know our friends, and we all know when they're a little bit down," he said. He said if you see that happening with a friend or family member, just sit down with a coffee or a tea and let them talk. "Encourage them to get a bit of stuff off their chests because it does wonders when you can actually talk about things," Noll said. "It's a much lighter weight to carry when you share it around a little bit." Noll hit a rough patch after a back operation in 2012. "For the first time in my life I wasn't whole," he said. "I really struggled with that, realising I was never going to be the same again. "You slip into a place where everything is negative and you don't know how to get out of it. It's a really troubling thing. It just snowballs." To lift him out of the negativity, he booked 50 shows and hit the road. "At the time I wasn't making a lot of money out of touring but I just think the self-gratification of getting out and doing something and meeting people who enjoyed the show brightened up everything," he said. "Communication is my biggest thing. I'm a really open person. As for his music career, Noll will be performing 50 shows between now and the end of the year and has plans to soon drop his new single. "It's called What You're Made Of. It's a similar vein to Shine, Lift and What About Me. It's a positive message," he said. "That's exciting." Funds raised from the Sheepvention drought-relief concert will support the Let's Talk Foundation and go towards supporting local farmers and rural communities.
Perth Now
20 hours ago
- Perth Now
Sacha Baron Cohen ‘only joking' over using Ozempic to transform body for Marvel role
Sacha Baron Cohen insists he was 'only joking' when he claimed to have used Ozempic to help achieve his new muscular physique for a Marvel role. The 53-year-old actor appeared on the cover of Men's Fitness UK this week, debuting his dramatic body transformation ahead of playing the villain Mephisto in Marvel's Ironheart miniseries. Alongside images from the shoot, Sacha posted on Instagram: 'Some celebs use Ozempic, some use private chefs, some use personal trainers. I did all three.' He added: 'This is not AI. I really am egotistical enough to do this. Debuting my new character. Middle aged man who replaced beer with protein shakes.' Sacha also thanked his trainer Alfonso Moretti, writing: 'Thanks @theangrytrainer for doing the unthinkable – putting up with me for 25 minutes a day.' However, after the post prompted widespread speculation and some backlash, representatives for Sacha have told MailOnline he 'was only joking' about using Ozempic. They added that the transformation was entirely the result of 'hard work'. Speaking to Men's Fitness UK, Sacha said he had only three weeks to get into superhero shape and credited Alfonso, also known as 'The Angry Trainer', with designing a focused programme of short daily workouts and strict nutrition. Sacha said: '25-minute workouts that were sustainable. Even while filming, the workouts happened. 'In the past, I would've thought you needed hour-long sessions.' He said the plan included 100 push-ups a day and a diet high in fibre and protein, with minimal sugar. At the start of training, Alfonso reportedly told Sacha he had 'the core strength of an arthritic jellyfish' but praised his consistency. Within two weeks, Marvel's costume department reportedly spent $5,000 (£3,600) making adjustments to his wardrobe due to changes in his physique. Sacha revealed he reached out to actor Matthew McConaughey for a trainer recommendation, which led him to Alfonso. Their first meeting was via FaceTime, during which the trainer asked Sacha to strip to his underwear so he could assess his body. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently confirmed Sacha will portray Mephisto – a demonic entity who appears in the Ironheart series, and who has long been rumoured to be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sacha rose to prominence in the late 1990s with his Ali G character, followed by major roles in Borat, Brüno, and The Dictator.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Sacha Baron Cohen used Ozempic to get in shape for new movie
Sacha Baron Cohen used Ozempic to achieve his new ripped physique. The 53-year-old actor underwent a body transformation to play Marvel villain Mephisto in Ironheart but admitted he had a lot of help to get the new look. He posted some pictures of his new physique on Instagram Stories and wrote: 'Some celebs use Ozempic, some use private chefs, some use personal trainers. I did all three.' 'This is not AI. I really am egotistical enough to do this. 'Debuting my new character. Middle aged man who replaced beer with protein shakes.' Sacha revealed he first turned to Matthew McConaughey for help when he got the role and Matthew put him in touch with celebrity trainer Alfonso Moretti. He joked to Men's Fitness UK: 'I called Matthew and asked for help. After asking who I was and how I'd gotten his number, he finally gave me Alfonso's contact.' Marvel originally considered fitting Sacha with 'prosthetic muscles' but he and Alfonso worked together to achieve his look in a 'very short timeframe'. Alfonso said: 'To be fair to Sacha, he wasn't out of shape. But visually, he didn't have that 'in-shape' look. He looked more like a ruler – straight up and down. The studio was even thinking about fitting him with prosthetic muscles. 'I'm not going to take ultimate credit for this. Sacha had a good base to start with. He has good muscularity: the shape of his muscles, his insertions (where the muscle fibres attach to the bones via tendons), the length of his attachments – he was like an athlete in hiding. But we had a very short timeframe to achieve the look the studio wanted.' And Cohen's mindset about exercise has changed thanks to his work with Alfonso. He said: 'My mindset around fitness has definitely evolved. [I love] X-ups. I've always found core workouts challenging, as I'm blessed with the core strength of an arthritic jellyfish, so being able to do them now is a reminder of how far I've come. 'I now believe that just 20 to 30 minutes of movement a day can make a real difference – and it's something anyone can fit into their routine, especially celebrities with personal assistants to do all the boring stuff like shopping and attending friends' funerals. So, no excuses!'
