6. Paula Dean
It’s no question that Deen loves her butter, but a type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2009 prompted the chef to shift her diet. “I’ve always preached moderation,” she told the New York Times in 2012. “I don’t blame myself.” The celebrity chef announced in January 2012 that she has type 2 diabetes. Well known for her buttery, sugary recipes, Deen said she learned she had the disease a few years earlier, but she didn’t speak about it publicly because she wasn’t ready. Now, she says, she wants “to let the world know that [diabetes] is not a death sentence.” Chef Deen confirmed in 2012 that she'd been living with Type 2 diabetes for three years and had taken some time to come to terms with the diagnosis. On The Doctors TV show that same year, she said: “I went into my kitchen and I threw every white food out, except cauliflower. Cauliflower became my very good friend.” She since lost around 40 pounds and is living a healthier, more active life and also authored the book: 30 Vegetable Recipes for People Who Hate Vegetables.