“Ruby” Offers Intimate Look at One Woman’s Life and Death Battle Against Obesity

 

Premieres Sunday, November 9 on The Style Network

 

Los Angeles– Savannah resident Ruby Gettinger is beautiful, charming, charismatic and weighs a life-threatening 500 pounds.  This November, Style’s cameras will follow Ruby’s personal journey to lose weight, get healthy and battle discrimination on the new and highly-anticipated reality series “Ruby.”  With no-holds-barred honesty and unwavering optimism, Ruby shares her story, including her past and present battle with obesity, her struggle to find the lost memories of her childhood and her reunion with an ex-boyfriend who broke her heart.  Along the way, Ruby seeks to inspire others to take the first bold steps towards a healthier and happier future.  The powerful and heartwarming new series, "Ruby," premieres Sunday, November 9 at 8:00 PM ET/PT, only on The Style Network.

 

Comprising nine non-scripted episodes, “Ruby” is about Ruby Gettinger’s genuine love of life, despite her struggle to lose weight.  Even at her highest weight of 700 pounds, Ruby has never been afraid to go out — hanging out with friends, dancing or going to the movies — despite frequent disapproving stares and harsh comments by passersby.  By sharing her positive and negative personal experiences and allowing viewers to come along on her weight-loss journey, Ruby hopes to help others realize that they are not alone and if she can do it, anyone can.

 

In the one-hour series premiere, Ruby has just been told by her doctor that if she does not lose weight, she risks life-threatening health complications.  She talks about life in a world not equipped to handle a person of her size and makes note of the routine activities that she cannot do, such as painting her toenails, riding a bike or taking a bubble bath. Ruby is at a crossroads in her life and she decides it is time to get healthy.

 

Throughout the season, viewers get to know Ruby’s devoted friends and family — her nephew Jim, roommate Jeff and best friend Georgia, among others.  They surround her constantly and adore her, but have inadvertently enabled her unhealthy eating and inactive lifestyle.  Also figuring prominently in Ruby’s life is the team of experts devoted to making her weight-loss dreams a reality, including the doctors and dietician who help her understand the ill effects of obesity on her body and her bad food habits; her trainer that gets her exercising; and the psychiatrist that helps Ruby confront her memory issues.

 

Beyond following Ruby’s battle with obesity, future episodes find her traveling to Los Angeles to catch-up with old friends Billy Blanks Jr. and Brittany Daniel; planning her friend Georgia’s birthday; camping in Savannah; and getting a new look.  Other heartfelt episodes include a church revival in support of Ruby’s weight loss efforts and a moving reunion with her ex-boyfriend Denny (who left her because she could not lose weight and subsequently broke her heart).

 

As Ruby struggles to lose weight and unravel the locked secrets of her childhood, viewers will be moved by her memorable and inspirational story.  The journey begins with the premiere of “Ruby” on Sunday, November 9 at 8:00 PM ET/PT, only on Style.

 

“Ruby” is produced by Gay Rosenthal Productions.  Executive Producers are Gay Rosenthal, Paul Barrosse and Tim Puntillo, as well as Style's Executive Producer Sarah Weidman.  Nicholas Caprio and Victoria Zielinski are Co-Executive Producers, joined by Brittany Daniel, who is a Consulting Executive Producer on the series. 

 

To coincide with the premiere of “Ruby,” Style will launch a robust and informative Web microsite (mystyle.com/ruby) devoted to Ruby’s weight-loss journey.  It will feature additional show information and highlights, blogs and vlogs (video blogs) and behind-the-scenes interviews with Ruby, including her video tour of Savannah.  Visitors will also be able to communicate directly with Ruby using message board postings, as well as access expert advice nutrition, exercise and overall wellness through other user-friendly interfaces. 

 

About Comcast Entertainment Group

Based in Los Angeles, Comcast Entertainment Group operates E! Entertainment Television, the 24-hour network with programming dedicated to the world of entertainment, and E! Online; The Style Network, the destination for women 18-49 with a passion for the best in relatable and inspiring lifestyle programming; and G4 offering the last word on gaming, technology, animation, interactivity, and "Internet culture" for the male 18-34 demo. E! is currently available to nearly 94 million cable and direct broadcast satellite subscribers in the United States.  In 2006, E! launched the E! Everywhere initiative underscoring the company's dedication to making E! content available on all new media platforms any time and anywhere from online to broadband video to wireless to satellite radio to VOD.  The Style Network currently counts 58 million cable and satellite subscribers and G4, the #1 podcasted cable network in America, is available in more than 64 million cable and satellite homes nationwide.