However, the weight loss led to facial volume loss, prompting O'Donnell to undergo a deep-plane facelift in January.
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"As a result of losing the weight, I had that same kind of neck thing, and I had two very deep grooves… called marionette lines," she said.
Living in Ireland since last year, O'Donnell said people often asked if she was upset because of her facial appearance.
"People in Ireland were like, 'Are you alright, darling? You look like you're upset, love.'
And I'd be like, 'No, this is just my face.' And I was sick of it," she recalled.
O'Donnell wrestled with the decision, initially feeling it conflicted with her feminist beliefs and concern about her legacy for her daughter.
"It took me about a year to convince myself I was allowed to do it," she said.
She later wrote a poem reflecting that she once viewed a facelift as a "betrayal" of feminism and aging but changed her perspective, seeing the changes as intentional rather than simply aging.
"I'd look in the mirror and think, this isn't aging, this is melting with intention," she wrote.
O'Donnell emphasized that her facelift was not natural and came with a significant cost, and she wanted to be transparent.
"I don't owe anyone an explanation," she said, "but I wanted to be transparent because I've never liked secrets."
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She also noted feeling some shame over the excess skin she had before the procedure.
