Amira Buzaglo: "There were years when I did not live in peace with myself"
The media personality responsible for casting for some of the most beloved series on screen has undergone a significant personal change. Buzaglo shed 51 kilograms while simultaneously mourning her mother, Dina, who passed away unexpectedly last year. She now discusses her journey in an interview with "Galit and Ilanit" and reveals whether she intends to enter national politics.
Amira Buzaglo has long been one of the most familiar names behind the scenes of the media world, but today you might find it hard to recognize her. The media personality lost 51 kilograms after making the difficult decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery. In an interview she gave today (Friday) on "Galit and Ilanit", she shared what led to this significant step, how she is dealing with the loss of her mother, and if she plans to run for national politics.
"Despite the fact that I looked in the mirror and lived in peace with myself, there were years when that was no longer the case," said Buzaglo, explaining the catalyst for her decision: "When I reached the age of 40 and underwent fertility treatments, my body changed and I gained weight. I went on a diet, lost less than four kilograms in three or four months and said 'enough'. I told my family doctor that I was not comfortable with myself, I could not wear my own clothes."
From there, Buzaglo chose the path of surgery, although it was not an easy decision: "All my life I was against these things. I went and consulted. Miki Buganim, who went through this process and shared with me in real time, showed me the results. But I was afraid, I had never been in surgery except for the delivery room. I consulted with Professor Kedar, he laid it out for me, but even when I decided, I still didn't have the courage to really enter the operating room; I canceled the surgery three times."
Why actually? "I am afraid of losing control, that someone will put you to sleep and you will lose control. It's like the fact that I don't drink alcohol and I'm not a girl who tries drugs. It's probably from the need to be in control. But my mother's death, alongside the deep sadness, released defenses in me. At 70, after she didn't visit hospitals, one day we just called her on Passover eve and she didn't answer; we found her at home lifeless. Every Friday I prayed that my mother would be at my children's wedding; I didn't think she wouldn't even reach their Bar Mitzvah."
"Were you always just the two of you?" - "Yes, we were one cell. I know that losing any parent is hard, but in this family unit it is twice as hard. She was also the person who loved me the most in the world. I know I have a husband who loves me, the family, my children, but no one will love like a mother loves her children. In her life, she never told me to go on diets or to have surgery. In the last year before she passed away, I shared with her and she gave me her blessing."
"With the weight loss, how has your life changed?" - "I am the same person, I was never a type that weight tired her, I didn't agree to let this thing win. Today there is more harmony between body and soul. The elementary things that people don't want to talk about, like getting up on a chair, it's still in my head."
Despite the significant change, it was important for Buzaglo to convey a message: "Let no one understand that I now think every woman should be thin. Feel as comfortable as you are; I felt that this is what is right for me, the fact is that a decade ago I didn't do the surgery. When I felt that I had already reached the limit of my ability and something that could affect my health, my vitality, the desire to be a mother for a long time, I crossed this line."
In recent years, Buzaglo also entered the political world, when she was elected to the Tel Aviv City Council on the list of Mayor Ron Huldai. At the moment, she does not intend to make the move to national politics, but she did not rule out the possibility: "It always tickles me; four months ago I was really a moment before and then I went back again. Jumping into the political waters is actually making a sharp change, and Israeli politics today... it's scary to enter it. Many good people are waiting on the sidelines and not making this jump because the game is very dirty. There is a feeling that if you make this jump and fall to the wrong people, you can burn yourself out quite quickly."
