'I Feel Like a Better-SUNNY HOSTIN'S COSMETIC SURGERY JOURNEY

THE VIEW COHOST REVEALS THAT SHE UNDERWENT A BREAST REDUCTION AND LIPOSUCTION AND WHY SHE'S HAPPY SHE DID 

- JEFF NELSON

"Can we turn the music up?" Sunny Hostin politely requests at her People photo shoot, where the View cohost is twirling around a SoHo loft in a sparkling LaQuan Smith gown. As her song request (the Mary J. Blige hit "Just Fine") plays louder on the speaker, her smile grows wider, because Hostin is feeling herself, as Beyoncéwho's also on Hostin's playlist would say.

And she has a good reason. Last year Hostin, 54, would never have felt comfortable posing in the sheer, curve-hugging dress she's rocking at the shoot. But this past August the federal prosecutor turned talk show personality underwent a breast reduction and liposuction after years of struggling with back pain and body-image issues.

A Seat at the Table Hostin (far right) on The View with (from left) Sara Haines, Ana Navarro, Joy Behar, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Lindsey Granger.

"I feel like a better version of myself," Hostin tells People exclusively. "It was a health decision and a self-care decision." Now, with renewed confidence, Hostin wants to start a conversation about cosmetic procedures and to destigmatize them. "I thought I would feel shame, like, 'Oh my God, I'm doing plastic surgery like all these crazy celebrities.' But I don't feel shame at all," she says. "And I hope sharing my story will help more people. If they're feeling so body-conscious, the way I was-they can do what they need to do to feel better."

Family Ties "I said, "I need to do this for me,' says Hostin (with husband Emmanuel in Ghana in December, top right, and with her kids Gabriel and Paloma in a September 2021 Instagram post).