CHART-TOPPING ARTIST LIZZO SAYS SHE CAN BE “BEAUTIFUL AND BE FAT” IN A REVEALING, EMOTIONAL INTERVIEW FOR “CBS SUNDAY MORNING”

CHART-TOPPING ARTIST LIZZO SAYS SHE CAN BE “BEAUTIFUL AND BE FAT” IN A REVEALING, EMOTIONAL INTERVIEW FOR “CBS SUNDAY MORNING”

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Chart-topping singer, songwriter and actress Lizzo can be “beautiful and be fat,” she tells Tracy Smith in an interview for CBS SUNDAY MORNING to be broadcast Sunday, Oct. 6 (9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network.

In a revealing and emotional interview, Lizzo opens up about her childhood, the death of her father, her long path to success and a lifetime of listening to well-meaning – and sometimes mean – comments about her weight. She tells Smith things turned around for her once she started to believe beauty comes in all sizes.

“Like, when I’m looking at my body and I’m shaming every little thing about it, I have to look at all of those things that I’m shaming, and I have to find love in those things. And I think that is why I’m able to call myself fat,” Lizzo says.

“I can also feel healthy and still be fat,” she adds. “I can be healthy and be fat. I can be beautiful and be fat. I can be beautiful and all of those things. And I think it’s because I learned to actually look all of my insecurities in the face, call them by their name and fall in love with them.”

Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Jefferson, is one of the hottest acts in music today with such hits as “Juice” and “Truth Hurts.” She also appears in the Jennifer Lopez film “Hustlers.” However, she tells Smith, she faced many hurdles along the way, including stretches of poverty, homelessness, self-doubt and heartache. She says it was frequent talks with her band teacher, Manny Gonzales, who gave her the focus she needed.

“I’ve had a lot of talks with my band director in here, where he was like, ‘You’ve got to get it together, because you are really special. And you could be doing something with your life. But you’re not applying yourself,’” Lizzo recalls on a trip back to Houston’s Elsik High School.

“And those talks really impacted me,” she adds. “Now, I’m like, ‘Wow, those talks really meant something to me.’”

CBS SUNDAY MORNING is broadcast Sundays (9:00-10:30 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network. Rand Morrison is the executive producer. Follow CBS SUNDAY MORNING on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and CBSNews.com. Listen to CBS SUNDAY MORNING podcasts on all podcast platforms.