In Touch Weekly and People Magazine spoke to Ruby Gettinger, the obese star of Style Network reality show Ruby, to get her thoughts on the Kevin Smith “too fat to fly” debate. To be fair to Kevin, he was never too fat to fly. In an article on his blog, he details how a representative from Southwest airlines admitted to him that he was bumped because they needed the seat. He may have been singled out for his weight, but he met all the criteria to fit in his seat with both armrests down and the seatbelt buckled without an extender. When the media firestorm got too heated, Southwest issued a sort-of half assed apology and kept implying that Smith was too heavy to fly safely, which was not the case according to company criteria. The two women on either side of him told the stewardess that it was no problem and he was primarily asked to leave as the flight was overbooked. (Someone bought two seats, not Smith – he only did that one time in his life contrary to reports – and they had filled all the seats on the plane, having taken Smith on standby.)

Anyway, Ruby talked about her trouble flying and said that while she sometimes buys two seats she once bought just one when she was over 700 pounds. She says she felt bad for the guy next to her. Ruby now weighs around 350 pounds, having lost 400 pounds in the past two years.

“The first time I went on a plane I was close to 700 lbs. and I had no idea how small the seats were,” says Gettinger. “The man sitting next to me was not happy at all! I felt so bad!”

Gettinger, who stars on the Style Network’s Ruby, has lost nearly 400 lbs. since that flight, but flying still isn’t easy, she tells PEOPLE. “After that experience, I never flew without a friend to sit next to me, or I would buy two seats.”

She doesn’t know all the details of director Smith’s recent removal from a Southwest Airlines flight, but the Savannah, Georgia, resident says she can imagine.

“This kind of stuff should be taken care of in private before someone like me or Kevin enters a plane,” she says. “We need to remember that we may have different shells, but we are still the same on the inside.”

[From People]

Ruby also told In Touch “I feel so sad for Kevin! I can only imagine what that must have felt like. We all come in different shapes and sizes, and deserve to be treated with respect. My personal opinion is this kind of stuff should be taken care of in private before someone like me or Kevin enters a plane.” Again, I feel for Kevin because while he’s a big guy he wasn’t technically too fat to fly and the airline was willing to admit that to him personally while they issued another statement that implied he was. He wrote on his blog “Now I’m gonna carry this Too Fat To Fly sh*t around like herpes for the rest of my life, and it was never even true.”

I was watching CNN when this story was all over the news, and they spoke to a passengers’ rights advocate who said that the issue is that the seats are too damn small. It’s true, you’re usually crammed in there like cattle. It’s time that airlines gave us more room on both the sides and in front rather than blaming larger people for the issue.

The third season of Ruby premiered on Sunday and I had the chance to watch it. While she does seem like a kind person I came away with a different impression of her than I had from interviews. She’s sweet and Southern but can be a little catty and was very territorial when she met the girlfriend of her male best friend, who is also her roommate. She’s fun, though, and she seems like the type of person you would love to hang out with. It’s hard enough to lose weight when you’re just overweight. I can’t imagine what she must go through every day.

Ruby Gettinger is the star of the Style network’s reality show Ruby. She’s currently promoting the third season of her show, which premieres on Sunday. Ruby was on Oprah last week and appeared Regis & Kelly this morning. She talked about her weight loss and the difficulty she’s gone through trying to recall her childhood, of which she has no memories. Ruby has lost over 400 pounds in the 2 years since she’s started her weight loss journey. She topped the scales at over 700 pounds at one point, and told Regis that she was that heavy for about 2-3 years.

Here’s some of what she said on Regis & Kelly:

I’ve been fighting it forever [weight gain] so I wanted to find out the truth behind it because I knew it was bigger than just dieting. I know the tools… diet… exercise… there’s deeper roots there.

It’s a deeper thing. The next season… coming up… I found out what it’s about. What we’re trying to fill up. It’s really sad, but when you find out the core… it’s so important.

I don’t remember my childhood… I started having nightmares. I go to a clinic and he says I’m suffering from post traumatic stress where I’m having nightmares constantly… It’s been crazy.

[Transcribed from Regis & Kelly, aired 2-10-10]

Ruby told Regis that memories of her childhood are coming in her dreams and “that’s the nightmare.” She was smiling and calm when she said all this, and you could tell that she’s done a lot of work with therapists. She also explained that she’s working through the 12 steps of addiction and that she understood more about why she would compulsively overeat. “You have this addiction because you’re feeding something else. What are you really hungry for?”

They showed a clip of Ruby trying on a pair of jeans for the first time in her life. It was funny because she was joking about how much of a pain it was to get them on, but there was also something triumphant about it. I really like Ruby and enjoy seeing her interviewed. There’s something so upfront and open about her and you can’t help but root for her success. Season three of Ruby premieres on The Style Network this Sunday at 8:00.

Here’s a clip from last season of Ruby talking about emotional eating as she deals with her dog’s illness:

Ruby Gettinger stars on The Style Network reality show Ruby, based on the Savannah, GA’s resident’s life. Ruby is 5’9 and currently weighs 328 pounds, the lowest weight she’s reached in her adult life. She’s down from a high of 715 pounds about 10 years ago and has lost over 150 pounds since she started the show last year. Ruby is the highest rated show ever on the Style Network.

The 40-something reality star is promoting a new memoir called Ruby’s Diary: Reflections on All I’ve Lost and Gained. In an appearance on The Today Show yesterday she was both excited and humble about her journey. Ruby comes across like such a genuinely kind person. You can tell that she really cares about people and hopes that by going public with her struggle she’s helping others. One very sad thing that Ruby touched on briefly in the interview is that she has no memories before the age of 10 and that she’s trying to work that out through therapy. Something truly awful must have happened to her, but she didn’t get into the details much, just saying “I had a recurring nightmare that I share in the book that I was not ready to share on television yet. There was one memory that came when my dad passed away, which was in January, and I share that. The next part of this journey – trying to find out my memories.”

On how her fans inspire her
It’s amazing, because the people that are watching me are inspiring me to keep going on. Because they write me. I have people of all sizes, all ages that are changing. I never realized there’s so many people out there that face their own addictions or their beasts. I call this the beast. Something that I’ve been fighting forever.

Everytime someone tells me that they’re changing, they’ve lost 100 pounds or 50 pounds or they’re walking, or they’re coming out their house for the first time, it keeps me going on.

On the small things she can do that weren’t possible before
Now I can walk three miles. I can get behind the steering wheel of a car. I can go kayaking. I had one of my dreams come true. I got to ride a horse!

On not putting off your dreams and goals
The one thing I have learned is that, do it today… anything you want to do I don’t care if it’s dieting, if it’s a dream, start it today because tomorrow will not come in 5 to 10 years.

On her destiny to help others
I believe that I’m a better person for being big, because I don’t judge people… on their shell I look at the inner person and I feel like this is my destiny because I want to help other people…. I want people to not live in their house or define themselves by weight… I want them to define themselves by the heart, by who they really are and live their lives.

[Transcribed from Ruby Gettinger's appearance on The Today Show, 9/9/09, video above]

I read the segment of Ruby’s book that’s available online and she describes how she was moved to lose weight and document that to help others. She saw the movie The Miracle Worker about the life of Helen Keller, and then an episode of Oprah on severely obese women shortly afterwards. I love the matter-of-fact way that she describes the turning point in her life:

One day, I was in my bedroom in the apartment I was renting on Fifty-second Street in Savannah, and I was flipping through the channels when I saw the movie The Miracle Worker was on. As I watched it for the first time, it took my breath away! Here was a woman, Helen Keller, who could not see, hear or speak. People had written her off; they called her dumb and treated her as if she was worthless. Then along came one person, a teacher named Annie Sullivan, who saw something more in Helen. She saw a person inside that shell, and she had faith in that person. I cried as I watched that movie. I really did. And then this unbelievable faith just came over me. This movie made me realize that the impossible really is possible. It made me see that the only limits we have in this life are the ones we set upon ourselves, and that one person’s faith is enough to change the whole world. I thought, if someone with all of Helen Keller’s problems, with all of those things holding her back, could overcome her obstacles, then why can’t I? I don’t why I happened upon this movie when I did, but it lit a fire in me – a big old barn fire that’s still smokin’ now. I really think God was trying to get my attention, and He did.

Not more than two days later, I was sitting at home, and this Oprah show came on about several severely obese women and their struggles. They were afraid to leave their homes because of the way society judged them. I have heard people call them shut-ins, but I could never use that word. It just makes me want to cry. I watched in complete pain. That show really broke my heart, because no matter what size I am now or ever was, I could never allow people to stop me from living and enjoying my life. Well, that was it! I knew I had to do something. So I called up my friends Jeff and Georgia and I said, “You need to get me a video camera. We need to document all of what I’m going through.” Right then and there I had decided that I was gonna let people follow me around, step-by-step, so we could learn a thing or two together.

[From Ruby's Diary: Reflections on All I've Lost and Gained]

Ruby has since appeared on Oprah, and she’s lost half of her body weight. As they say in the south, bless her. I admire Ruby and find her so inspirational and kind. I hope that all of her dreams come true and that she’ll someday be able to work through her painful past.

[Thanks to The Huffington Post for featuring this story]

Savannah, Georgia native Ruby Gettinger is the star of the reality show “Ruby” on the Style Network, now in its second season. Ruby has struggled with her weight all her life, and weighed as much as 715 pounds 10 years ago. She’s is now under 350 pounds, having lost 150 pounds through diet and exercise since the start of her show a year ago. A friendly, open person with a strong network of friends and family, Ruby easily wins people over with her kind personality. Not everyone is rooting for Ruby’s success, however. The 5’9″ redhead said that friends have told her she’s lost enough weight and that one even stooped low enough to send her a box of candy as a present:

Talk about frenemies. Now that reality TV star Ruby Gettinger is less than 350 pounds (from her highest weight of 716), some so-called friends have told her she doesn’t need to lose any more weight.

“I’ve had friends say, `You look good right now. You need to stop losing weight now.’ I don’t get it. It’s almost like misery loves company,” said the Savannah, Ga., native in a recent interview.

In fact, Gettinger says she’s had people send her a basket full of sweets from a candy shop, knowing she’s on a diet.

Gettinger stars in her own show on the Style Network (8 p.m. EDT Sundays) as she struggles to get healthy.

When “Ruby” – now in its second season – began filming last year she weighed 500 pounds. She’s now lost 80 inches overall and 30 inches from her waist which Gettinger jokes is a whole person.

She can walk two miles now and craves healthy foods like fish and vegetables.

Gettinger says her goal is to be healthy and not to get to a particular weight.

[From The AP via Huffington Post]

I was first introduced to Ruby last November, when I covered an interview she had with In Touch. I was moved by her struggle, and by how honest she came across. She said at the time that her goals were to do things that average-size people take for granted, like take a bubble bath, ride a bicycle, and paint her toenails. She’s since been able to experience things that were impossible for her before, like riding a bike and going camping.

Ruby is on an amazing journey and she doesn’t let detractors get in her way. She told MSN in an interview last year that she tries to surround herself with positive people and not let negativity get her down. “I don’t let negative attitudes and meanness from other people keep me from living my life… I am a girl who loves life and loves people, and I find that in this life there are more good people than bad, and that is who I choose to surround myself with. I want us all to get healthier, but also to live life to the fullest along the way.”

Ruby hosts what she calls “women’s fat night,” an informal support group that she started with her group of friends. In a clip available on her website, below, you can see that some of her friends are heavy too. Some may be envious that she’s in the spotlight and is changing her life with help from a team of experts. They have a lot of fun together, though, and from the clips I’ve seen of her show it’s hard to tell that there’s any animosity there. It’s sad that this happens between friends, and I’ve had my feelings hurt in similar situations. Sometimes people just can’t accept it when you’re different from what they’ve come to expect.

You can learn more about Ruby and see segments from her show on her website. “Ruby” airs on the Style Network on Sundays at 8pm.

Video: Ruby hosts “women’s fat night” where they talk about going to the gynecologist.

Video: Ruby on motivation and inspiring others

Header image from 7/11/09 in which Ruby exercises with fans on the Santa Monica Pier. Credit: Splash News. Photos below are of Ruby at the 34th Annual AWRT Gracie Awards Gala on 6/3/09. She is shown with Niecy Nash, Kathy Griffin, Suze Orman and Rachel Ray. Credit: PRPhotos (group photo) and WENN.com (single head shot).

Ruby Gettinger is the star of the new Style Network reality show “Ruby,” which chronicles her life as she struggles to lose weight. 5’9″ Ruby is now down to 364 pounds from a high of 715 pounds ten years ago. Ruby is determined to lose weight through diet and exercise and while she’s not opposed to gastric bypass surgery she says she needs to learn how to lose weight without it.

A resident of Savannah, GA, Ruby calls eating an addiction and is emotional and honest about her personal trials. She says that she wants to inspire other people by sharing her journey. Her goals and dreams are simple ones and she hopes for many of the things regular-sized people take for granted, like being able to take a bubble bath or paint her toenails by herself.

A friendly, positive person, Ruby helps bring a human face to the obesity issue while shedding light on the struggles of larger people in a sizeist society.

“My doctor said, ‘You’re a walking time bomb and you’re going to die if you don’t do something,’” recalls Ruby, who reached her highest weight of 715 pounds 13 years ago and has since fluctuated between 350 and 550 pounds.

Having lost 113 pounds over the last eight months, the 5’9″ Savannah, GA native is hoping to inspire others. “My dream is to help those who are on the same road,” she tells In Touch. “I want to be able to look into people’s eyes and say, ‘You can do it, too!’”

In Touch: How did you feel when your doctor said you could die?
I knew he was right because I already felt my body shutting down. I thought, “OK, I guess I’m going to die,” but three weeks later, I decided not to give up.

Have people been mean to you because of your weight?
I was walking through the mall once and a man stood up and yelled, “Oh my God!” and started pointing and laughing at me. And another time someone said “Aren’t you embarrassed to look like a circus freak?”

That must have been awful.
I went home thinking, “Do I really weigh more than the woman in the circus?” I looked it up, and I did.

Has being obese affected your love life?
I’ve never been asked out on a date. I have a lot of guy friends, but they just can’t get over the physical.

You’ve lost more than 100 pounds. Have you been exercising?
Yes, I do 20 minutes on the treadmill in the morning and evenings. It takes everything I have to do it!

Have you ever considered having gastric bypass?
I’m fine with people wanting to do that, but I need to learn how to do this, or I’ll never beat it. But I will get plastic surgery after I lose the weight to get rid of the excess skin.

You’ve lost weight before – what makes this time different?
I’m tired of the quick fixes. I really want to learn how to eat healthy and work out for the rest of my life. Plus, for the first time, I’m doing it for myself.

What’s one thing you can’t wait to do once you reach your goal weight?
I’ve never taken a bubble bath, so I’m really looking forward to that!

[From In Touch, print edition, November 24, 2008]

Ruby won’t reveal her age, but is open about most of the other aspects of her life. She says she’s been big since she was young and that she didn’t eat regular meals but had snacks like pop tarts, sweet rolls, and Milky Way bars growing up. She likens food addiction to alcoholism, and there’s a scene in her show in which she points to fast food in a display case and says how hard it is to see that, like an alcoholic walking into a bar every day. Ruby started filming the show seven months ago and is now down to 364 pounds from 477 pounds, which means she’s lost over 100 pounds in just over half a year.

Ruby keeps in touch with her fans on her message board and says she has read all of their messages and is touched and moved by the support she’s receiving. You can learn more about Ruby on her website, which includes many clips from the show. Hang in there, Ruby, a lot of people are rooting for you.

Here’s a video message from Ruby:

Note: this is not an advertisement for the show and we decided to cover this story on our own without any encouragement or contact from the Style Network.