One of the most candid celebrities out there, Sharon Osbourne is unafraid to open up about any topic, whether it be her volatile marriage to rocker Ozzy Osbourne, her three children – Aimee, Kelly and Jack – and their growing families, or her relationship with her body. As Sharon herself admits, “I’ve always been a magnet for drama”.
That ride-or-die attitude led to her being publicly dragged for defending Piers Morgan – a friend since 2007 when the pair worked together on America’s Got Talent – after the controversial presenter stated he did not believe some of Meghan Markle’s claims in her and Harry’s infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey. The 2021 backlash from Piers’ comments, which were deemed “racist” by Sharon’s co-host Sheryl Underwood, culminated in Sharon leaving daytime show The Talk as a panel member and later claiming she had been “cancelled” in the US.
Speaking about that time, Sharon, 71, tells Closer, “I went into eight months of therapy after that. Ozzy and I didn’t leave the house for two months because we were getting death threats. It was huge. You say one thing and it’s a seed, and that seed grows into a bloody big tree. The internet is judge, jury and executioner. It was insanity and the ugliest thing I’ve ever been through. I’m blacklisted.”
She continues, “It was a hard pill to swallow as I had worked with all of those people for so long. I was there 11 years, and they were my friends.”
More recently, Sharon hit headlines for admitting that she had attempted suicide after learning of Ozzy’s four-year affair with stylist Michelle Pugh from 2012 to 2016. Despite splitting temporarily, the pair eventually got back together, celebrating their 40th anniversary two years ago. Now, Sharon tells Closer the secret to their long-lasting relationship.
“I love him – it’s simple,” she explains. “I understand him and why he does the things that he does. And I’ve always felt I couldn’t have had a career without his talent, so it takes two. The combination has worked and still does.
“I know him so well. It takes years and years to know someone and I know him inside out and he does me. I’m as difficult to live with as he is.”
Ozzy, 75, and Sharon met in 1970 through Sharon’s dad, music manager Don Arden – who worked for Ozzy’s band Black Sabbath – eventually embarking on what would become a tumultuous but loving relationship, tying the knot in Hawaii in 1982. In 1983, they welcomed their first child, Aimee, followed by Kelly in 1984 and Jack in 1985.
In 2002 the family began recording their home life for the reality show The Osbournes. Over the three years that it aired, viewers bore witness to multiple intimate moments including Sharon’s battle with colon cancer.
Speaking about the decision to end The Osbournes, Sharon reveals, “We stopped doing it because of the kids. They were earning too much money and got too much attention. They were living a life which was basic bulls**t. It was parties here and parties there. They were flown all around the world, they were too young. Fame and money are very hard to handle.”
With her children all grown up and starting families of their own – in 2022 Kelly, 39, welcomed son Sidney, with Slipknot DJ Sid Wilson; while Jack, 38, announced the birth of his fourth child in 2022, daughter Maple, his first with wife Aree Gearhart – Ozzy and Sharon have decided to move back to the UK, 26 years after relocating to America.
“Ozzy loves it [in the UK] and so do I. The move has been delayed because the house isn’t finished – never have work done on your house, builders are the worst,” Sharon jokes.
Despite now being a grandmother of five, Sharon looks younger than ever – something she puts down to Ozempic, a Hollywood favourite with a weight loss side effect. “Last December, I resorted to injecting myself with Ozempic, a semaglutide [medication] that fools the brain into thinking you’re not hungry. I lost 42lbs [3st] but it was too much,” she says.
Sharon has also been open about her numerous surgeries over the years, starting with a boob job in 1978. She later spent hundreds of thousands on multiple face lifts, a tummy tuck, eye lift, lipo and Botox.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be happy with the way I look,” she says. “But I’m now satisfied. It’s taken years for me to say this, but I’ve learned my lesson. This is me. It’s finally time to leave well alone.”