WATCH: Gugu Gumede on how weight loss helped her land age-appropriate roles
· Citizen
Actress Gugu Gumede says losing weight has had a significant impact on both her personal life and her acting career.
The 34-year-old, best known for her role as Prophetess Mamlambo on the television drama Uzalo, underwent bariatric weight-loss surgery in January 2024.
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She previously revealed on her YouTube channel that she lost 20kg within two months of the procedure.
Gumede said she decided to undergo the surgery after gaining weight following breastfeeding and to help manage her eating habits.
Cast in age-appropriate roles
In a recent video posted on Instagram, the actress said that after her weight loss, she is finally being cast in roles that match her real age, after years of portraying much older characters on screen.
She shared that she began playing the role of Mamlambo when she was 24, and people believed she was older.
“I played that role for so long and so well that people never believed my age. They never believed when they saw me, and they never believed when they heard,” she said.
Gumede said she continued to be cast in older roles throughout her career.
“That was until I made the decision to change my life and get a gastric sleeve,” she said.
She added that she is now being offered roles that are closer to her actual age.
“I have lost so much weight that I now play characters that are either in my age range or my age,” she said.
The actress also said she has secured what she considers one of the most significant roles of her career on Netflix.
“Currently, I’ve got one of the biggest roles of my career coming out very, very soon, and I am now able to be a better actor because I can do things physically that I couldn’t do before. I’ve got the confidence that I didn’t have before,” she said.
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Gugu Gumede’s new Netflix role
Gumede is among the cast members of the upcoming Netflix drama series The Polygamist.
The 22-episode series, produced by Stained Glass Productions, is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on 12 June 2026.
The series centres on Jonasi Gomora, played by Sdumo Mtshali, a businessman whose personal life is disrupted by secrets, betrayal and polygamy.
Gumede plays Joyce Gomora, whose life is affected by revelations about her husband.
The cast also includes Kwanele Mthethwa, Kenneth Nkosi, Noluthando Shabalala, Wonder Ndlovu, Celeste Ntuli, Lwazie Keith Tshebesha, Luyanda Zwane and Sthandiwe Kgoroge.
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