Kathy Bates says this past Emmy Awards red carpet event was extra meaningful for her.

The Oscar winner, 76, recently spoke about her seven-year weight loss journey in an interview with People – and the emotions that accompanied it. Bates stepped out for the 2024 awards show last month in a purple Armani dress and described the joyful experience she had while shopping for the dress with her friend. “We were in tears because everything I came out in looked beautiful,” she told the outlet in October.

The American horror story actress said she felt comfortable posing for the cameras at the star-studded event. “The red carpet photos were so different from any photo I had ever taken on a red carpet,” she noted.

“I just felt so relaxed and ready,” Bates explains. “I knew I felt great, and I looked great.”

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Bates said she was able to lose 80 pounds through diet and lifestyle changes, and then lost another 20 pounds with the help of the drug Ozempic. “There’s been a lot of talk that I was just able to do this because of Ozempic,” she said. “But I have to make it clear to the people there that this was hard work for me, especially during the pandemic. It’s very difficult to say you’ve had enough.”

Bates also recently cleared up any ideas that she was quitting acting. “I think people got confused and thought I was retiring,” she said People on Wednesday, Oct. 9, while discussing the success of her new CBS series, Matlock. “What I meant was: how can it get even better? I would love to see this continue.”

However, she admitted that in the past she has become frustrated with the limited roles available to women her age. “I remember calling my agents and saying, ‘I think I might want to retire, or even semi-retire. “If I can’t afford to keep my house, I’ll sell it and maybe move to New York,” she recalled. “Then this happened. I couldn’t believe it.”

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The actress made headlines last month when she appeared to hint at this Matlock was her last project, tellingly The New York Times“This is my last dance.” Bates had plans to pursue acting after a film shoot “soured” her on the experience, but… Matlock changed his mind.

“Everything I’ve prayed for, worked for, worked for, I’m suddenly being asked to use it all,” she added at the time. “And it’s exhausting.”