Photo Of Delta Burke Post-Weight Loss Confirms Her Journey

Nov 27, 2020 by apost team

When people think of Delta Burke, her role as Suzanne Sugarbaker, the vain ex-beauty queen she played in the CBS sitcom “Designing Women” will usually come to mind. Burke’s successful acting career did not go without hitches though.

After a very public spat with the producers of the show, the media preying on her weight and body shape, and numerous health scares, Burke was forced to reassess her life. She is now happier and healthier as a result and has shared her journey with the world.

Delta Burke was born in Orlando, Florida, on July 30th, 1956. She was adopted by Frederick Burke when her until then single mom, Jean, married. In her final year of high school, when she was just 18 years old, Burke won the title of Miss Florida 1974, making her the youngest Miss Florida titleholder in the history of the pageant. 

The win cemented her love for being on stage and opened up a whole new world of opportunities. She even won a talent scholarship from the Miss America organization, which then allowed her to study for two years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. 

Burke’s real breakthrough came when she played Kathleen Beck in the series "Filthy Rich" in 1982. But it was her role in “Designing Women” that really propelled her to stardom. The creator of "Designing Women" was the same woman who cast Burke in "Filthy Rich" — Linda Bloodworth-Thomason — so the connection certainly proved fruitful for Burke. According to IMDb, the show ran from 1986 to 1991 and became one of the highest-rated television shows in the United States. It was even nominated for two Golden Globes. Burke herself was nominated for two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Suzanne Sugarbaker.

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As Suzanne Sugarbaker, Burke played one of four women who were running an interior design firm with their handyman in Atlanta, Georgia in the 1980s. Much of Burke's pageant experience played into her character on the show. Suzanne Sugarbaker was the younger sister and former Miss Georgia World, allowing Burke to bring comedy to the trope of pageant women being self-centered.

Sadly, Burke felt the environment in which the show was produced was less than idyllic. In 1990 the tension between producers and Burke became a highly publicized affair which led to her expulsion from the series.

“It is not a good workplace, not a good environment … It’s so strange, being part of something that’s so wonderful and so awful at the same time...the last two years have been very hard. Personally, I lost all my self-esteem.’” Burke told The Orlando Sentinel.

The former beauty queen, who soared to success for her looks, soon reached her demise for the same reasons. Since she leaped to 215 pounds during the filming of “Designing Women” Burke’s weight became a topic that was often discussed in the press and parodied in the media. The unwanted attention did little to help her depression and eating disorders.

But Burke, now 64 years old, has put all that behind her. After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the early 2000s. Diabetes.org explains that Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes and describes it as such:

"Type 2 means that your body doesn't use insulin properly. And while some people can control their blood sugar levels with healthy eating and exercise, others may need medication or insulin to manage it. "

According to Mayo Clinic, Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition and is known for being something that becomes prevalent in adults, as opposed to Type 1 — which becomes apparent earlier in life. The medical difference between the two types aside from age of prevalence is that people with Type 1 diabetes have issues with their bodies producing insulin. With Type 2, it is not that the body initially does not produce insulin, but that it does not respond to it. This can cause a decrease in insulin production later in someone's life with the disease.

There is, unfortunately, no known cure for Type 2 diabetes, and some people can have it for years without evening being aware that they have it. However, while a diagnosis is not ideal, the organization states that life doesn't end with Type 2 diabetes and that there are many ways one can improve their well-being. This diagnosis forced Burke to put her health first.

Burke lost a lot of her excess weight on medical advice, and began a Broadway career, debuting in “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” The health scare made her reassess her life. "My doctor told me I would end up on insulin if I didn't get my blood glucose under control. That scared me enough to take action," she told EatingWell in 2018:

"I've bounced back from it all."

At the time of the interview, Burke had slimmed down to 150 pounds and was the face of the nationwide Byetta Let's Talk campaign. Her message was a simple one. She wanted to spread the word that educating yourself on your diabetes and communicating about it is vital in managing it well.

"The whole point is to encourage people to start talking. You have to learn about whatever is going on with you," she said. Burke also talked about the importance of finding a doctor you can really rely on. She said:

"I was on the road a lot. I was tired. My body didn't feel right. I knew something was wrong, but nobody could tell me what...then one doctor did the right tests and told me I had diabetes. My doctor told me I would end up on insulin if I didn't get my blood glucose under control. That scared me enough to take action."

After feeling empowered by her doctor, Delta decided to take matters into her own hands by developing new habits and finding a new routine. 

She was very aware that controlling diabetes is a very tricky process, as she stated:

"There are so many things you have to watch. It’s a lot of searching and it can be tedious, but you just have to stick with it."

Burke went on a weight loss journey trying out diets and working out, and this saw her lose some weight. But the biggest change came when Burke changed her mindset. She revealed:

"I was telling myself that I was a bad person because I couldn't lose the weight fast enough. I decided to stop beating myself up and started to give myself credit for maintaining weight."

Although Burke undoubtedly used a lot of self-motivation, the people that Burke had around her during her weight-loss journey was also one of the factors in how she achieved success.

Through it all Burke has had the unconditional love and support from her husband and fellow actor, Gerald McRaney. McRaney is also an actor and is known for his work in series such as House of Cards and Promised Land. The couple married in May 1989. In an interview with People in 2017, Burke talked about how the two got started with their relationship:

“He asked me to marry him on the second date, so we were pretty committed!”

In the same interview husband McRaney admitted, “I wasn’t going to let her get away. I already had competition. There were people asking her out on dates, and I was going to move in right away.”

Despite the couple's quick start, Burke's marriage to McRaney has been a supportive one. Burke gushed about her husband to EatingWell:

"He's been great. It didn't matter to him how fat I got. He reminds me what I should be doing or shouldn't be eating. He likes to give me my shots and says it makes him feel like he's taking care of me."

The couple lives in Los Angeles with Burke’s mother, Jean. Burke remarked in her interview how grateful she is for good health, and not just within herself:

 "My mom's healthy and my husband's healthy. I feel good, and I know I'll get better and better. To me, it's a time of celebration."

Her mother also plays a role in helping her stay dedicated to weight loss; Burke's supportive environment is definitely a key to her success. She said:

"I go through phases where I really want macaroni and cheese or sweets. Then Mom makes me sugar-free gelatin. That or some fruit is my little treat."

Burke's road to better health hasn't been easy, but nowadays she enjoys long walks with her husband, and with her new health plan she feels more positive than ever. "I feel good, and I know I'll get better and better," Delta said. And that is all any of us can ask for; we wish her the best for her onward journey!

Have you ever had a health scare that changed your perspective? Let us know in the comments section and forward this story to all those who are looking forward to a healthier future.