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Chaz Bono is half the man he used to be. Well, not quite half, but 80lbs. lighter is quite a bit!

The 43-year-old Dancing with the Stars contestant, who weighed 250 lbs. before dieting, opened up to People about his new look. Chaz tells the mag:

"I've been sticking to a really strict diet. It's not any type of starvation thing. I'm just cutting out a lot of stuff and eating primarily protein and vegetables and fruit."

Bono first admitted that he was hoping to lose at least 50 lbs. on an episode of The Doctors. Chaz adds:

"That episode was the most uncomfortable I've ever been on television in my life. I had been wanting to lose weight. It was something I had been trying to do and failing at. This opportunity just kind of came in, and my initial reaction was 'absolutely not.' And after that, the more I thought about it, I realized I've been wanting to deal with this issue and somebody's willing to help me do it, so I decided to throw my pride away and get help."

Bono is expected to appear on The Doctors this Wednesday to show off his new bod.

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

In LA, Saturday night was all about the 23rd annual GLAAD Media Awards!

Special honoree of the night, Chaz Bono, got a big surprise visit from mom Cher, who watched her transgendered son take home the prestigious Stephen F. Kolzak Award for promoting equality.

Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack, Chaz Bono’s stepmother and the widow of his father, Sonny Bono, presented the award to the former Dancing with the Stars alum, and The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation society also gave out dozens of awards to honor outstanding representations of the gay, lesbian, transgendered and bisexual community.

Most of the awards had been passed out during a special New York ceremony held last month, but four special awards were saved for Saturday’s west coast event.

This film Beginners, which centers on an aging gay man who comes out to his son, earned a GLAAD award for writer-director Mike Mills, while Modern Family took home an award for outstanding comedy series, accepted by actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

Bono also received another honor for Becoming Chaz, the documentary about his transition from a woman to a man, which was honored with outstanding documentary.

The Hunger Games star Josh Hutcherson received the Vanguard Award, which GLAAD presents to media professionals who “have increased the visibility and understanding of the LGBT community.” Hutcherson co-founded the tolerance group Straight But Not Narrow, and Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro presented the award to Hutcherson.

Congrats!

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

After competing on Dancing with the Stars last year, it seems like Chaz Bono has been working hard to maintain a regular workout schedule, and it's definitely paying off! We spotted the star grocery shopping in Hollywood yesterday, and he appeared noticeably slimmer in these photos.

The other day he tweeted, "Thank you to GLAAD for nominating Becoming Chaz, my 1st media award nom, also very exited about DWTS and my interview with Letterman noms." Becoming Chaz is a personal documentary that followed the star's gender transformation, and it premiered at Sundance last year.

Chaz Bono has ended his engagement to Jennifer Elia, his rep confirms.

The former Dancing With the Stars contestant, 42, and Elia shared their proposal last month on the reality show Being Chaz which aired on the OWN Network.

Bono's rep, Howard Bragman, released the following statement:

"They leave this relationship with great love, respect and affection toward one another. No further amplification will be forthcoming and they ask that you respect their privacy at this time."

Chaz, the first transgender contestant to be featured on DWTS, Tweeted the following message to his fans:

"Thanks for your concern about our separation. I'm doing fine, and we remain on good terms with nothing but respect and affection 4 each other."

Bono and Elia have been together since 2005.

Gavin Bond, OUT

Chaz Bono got voted off of Dancing With The Stars, but he made Out magazine's 100 Most Influential Gay, Lesbian and Trasgender Men and Women list for 2011.

The mag commended ABC for putting Bono on the show despite backlash, and writes, "After years in which American Idol contestants were encouraged to keep their sexuality private, seeing Bono dancing with his female instructor was one of television's most inspiring images of 2011."

Adam Lambert, Tim Gunn, Brad Goreski, Lance Bass and Andy Cohen were also named.

Chaz Bono was spotted leaving Anderson Cooper's NYC studio today, and we already have a sneak peek at the interview, which airs next Tuesday.

The two phoned Chaz's mom Cher, and she shares her thoughts on his elimination from this week's Dancing with the Stars. Judge Bruno Toniolo called Chaz a "fluffy penguin" when judging him on Monday, and Cher sputtered:

"I just thought they [the judges] were rude and it was gratuitous rudeness. I was just p***ed off. I was really upset. Not that Chaz was voted off but that they were so disrespectful."

Cher also spoke out regarding Chaz's decision to become a transgender.

"As a mom, you have a child and then all of a sudden, you have a different child, but you have the same child. So it's very hard to kind of twist your mind around to the adjustment. But then when you look at it, and you're around your child, you just think, 'Oh, no difference.' Same child, different wrapping."

Watch the video clip after the jump!

Looks like Chaz Bono is ditching LA for a colder climate!

After being eliminated from this week's Dancing With the Stars, we spotted Bono loading several large suitcases and a heavy jacket into a waiting car, on Wednesday.

The transgender activist had a very emotional journey on DWTS, where the judges commented more on his looks than his dancing skills.

Partner Lacey Schwimmer vented backstage after the elimination, “Every week he gets referred to as an animal. They always comment on his personality, and last I checked, this was a dancing show.”

Equally ticked off, Cher Tweeted: “Is it ‘DWTS’ or looking perfect ‘WTS?’ It’s easy for him to take cheap shots at Chaz! Let him come to ‘my’ stage. I could teach his little arm waving [butt] some manners! Critique Chaz’s dance style, movements, etc. But don’t make fun of my child on national TV.”

It seems a long vacation away from "it all" is exactly what Chaz needs.

Chaz Bono grabbed his dry cleaning in Los Angeles on Tuesday -- thank goodness!

We can't take any more of seeing Chaz in a white tank and basketball shorts; that's his outfit of choice every day at Dancing With The Stars rehearsal (and, as evident from these pics, even outside of rehearsal!)

But, luckily, Bono grabbed a black collared shirt to wear. Tonight is results night for 80s week (and the halfway point) of DWTS Season 13. Do you think Chaz will survive? Watch his performance below!