Camilla’s Awkward Weight Loss Remark to Ruth Jones
Queen Camilla experienced an awkward moment with acclaimed Welsh actress Ruth Jones during a royal visit to Cyfarthfa Castle in South Wales on November 14, celebrating King Charles' birthday. Despite Jones's widespread fame from “Gavin & Stacey” and a previous meeting just eight months prior at a Buckingham Palace reception, Queen Camilla did not immediately recognize the actress. A Daily Mail reporter captured the interaction on video, showing the Queen shaking Jones's hand and then inquiring, “Haven’t you lost masses of weight?” Jones responded with a laugh, confirming her past weight loss.
This comment referred to Jones's significant transformation in 2011, when she shed nearly 60 pounds. She attributed her success to “aversion therapy,” a technique she learned from renowned hypnotist Paul McKenna. In a 2024 “Table Manners” podcast interview, Jones elaborated that McKenna trained her to associate chocolate, a food she previously struggled with, with an unpleasant food she disliked. Though initially skeptical, Jones found the method remarkably effective, stating, “It completely worked. I didn’t eat chocolate for five years. I couldn’t stand the smell of it.”
Over time, Jones gradually reintroduced chocolate into her diet in moderation, having maintained a healthy weight since her substantial loss almost 15 years ago. The Queen's remark was deemed awkward not only due to the apparent lack of recognition but also because the weight loss occurred so long ago, and the two had met more recently in March of the same year. The article highlights the social dynamics of the encounter and Jones's specific weight loss method, without detailing any explicit risks associated with aversion therapy.
Camilla's comment reflects how even public figures are often entangled in the ongoing dialogue surrounding pop culture weight loss and its implications.
