It's ability to suppress appetite, cut alcohol cravings and accelerate weight loss means its use in the UK has soared exponentially.

And now the Queen of the kitchen, Nigella Lawson, 64, has been forced to speak out on the controversial topic of the weight loss drug, Ozempic - declaring she would never take it because she has spent her life, 'trying to help people not to feel food is the enemy'.

She told The Times: 'I read something once where someone said, 'I was on Ozempic and it was the first time I didn't think about food all the time.'

'I take great pleasure in thinking about food all of the time.'

Ozempic works by lowering blood sugar levels and suppressing glucose made in the liver to tackle problems such as type two diabetes and obesity.

It was also discovered last week that taking the drug could reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks and strokes by 20 percent. 

Nigella Lawson, 64, revealed she would 'never take Ozempic' as a weight-loss drug because she has spent her life 'trying to help people not to feel food is the enemy' (pictured in 2022)

Ozempic works by lowering blood sugar levels and suppressing glucose made in the liver to tackle problems such as type two diabetes and obesity

But its ability to allow a user to lose a significant amount of weight in a matter of weeks has meant it's become Hollywood's secret weight loss drug - nicknamed the skinny jab.

After the likes of Rebel Wilson, Oprah and Sharon Osbourne have openly discussed how Ozempic has dramatically changed their appearance, the drug has gripped the UK with many ordering unregulated versions online on the black market for a cheap price.

Nigella said: 'It doesn't do to be too judgmental about other people's medical decisions. I imagine if they are prescribed [weight-loss jabs] by doctors because they are pre-diabetic or something, then that's something [different], but they are not for me.

'I have spent a lot of my life trying to help people not feel that food is the enemy.

'And I am always someone who would prefer to think about what I add to my diet than what I remove.'

Alongside Ozempic are other extreme dieting measures including the scientist Tim Spector launching his glucose-tracking device, Zoe, that monitors how its wearer's blood sugar levels respond when they consume different foods and then suggests a personalised meal plan.

Nigella Lawson has insisted that that she likes to spend her time thinking about food and has spent her career trying to encourage others to do the same

Speaking to the Times, the former MasterChef Australia judge said: ‘I am at an age where, even with the best will in the world, I have eaten more than I will eat for the rest of my life. So I really want everything I eat to make me happy. Proper food is happy-making and you don’t get more proper than honey.’

TV presenter and fitness fanatic, Davina McCall, is an ambassador for the product and the Dragon's Den judge, Steven Bartlett, has also invested and constantly promotes Zoe on his chart-topping podcast, The Diary of a CEO.

But the TV chef, known for her wry sense of humour and unfussy approach to cooking, said: 'Tim Spector has asked me [to try Zoe] but I feel like I eat healthily, which is a big mixture of things.

'Maybe it's helpful for a certain amount of people. Everyone has a right to be concerned about how they eat. But I am not sure I like a totally obsessive and guarded approach to food that turns everything into something to worry about.'

Speaking to the Times, the former MasterChef Australia judge said: 'I am at an age where, even with the best will in the world, I have eaten more than I will eat for the rest of my life. So I really want everything I eat to make me happy. Proper food is happy-making and you don't get more proper than honey.'