Despite knowing her Type 2 diabetes diagnosis for years, Paula Deen, the all-smiles cooking host of the Food Network's "Paula's Best Dishes," continued touting her buttery, artery-clogging Southern down-home cuisine.

Deen, 64, confirmed today on NBC's Today Show that she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes three years ago and she is now launching a new campaign, "Diabetes in a New Light." The campaign is in partnership with diabetes drug maker Novo Nordisk.
"I made the choice at the time to keep it close to me, to keep it close to my chest," she told USA Today. "I felt like I had nothing to offer anybody other than the announcement. I wasn't armed with enough knowledge. I knew when it was time, it would be in God's time."

As the cameras rolled, the young actress knew she desperately needed to lie down. But before she could do anything she collapsed on set and was rushed to hospital.

Hollywood star Halle Berry then lay dangerously ill in a diabetic coma for a week before waking to a life that would never be the same again.

"Diabetes caught me completely off guard," she explains.

"None of my family had suffered from the illness and although I was slightly overweight in school, I thought I was pretty healthy.

"I fell ill - dramatically - when I was on the TV show, Living Dolls, in 1989. I felt I needed energy but I didn't even have a minute to pop out and get a chocolate bar. I didn't really know what was wrong."

Randy Jackson first picked up a bass guitar at the tender age of 13. Four decades on, the American Idol judge is something of a cultural icon, having achieved fame and fortune first as a member of 1980s pop sensation Journey, and then as a Grammy Award-winning producer, music manager, and executive, collaborating with artists ranging from Jerry Garcia and Bruce Springsteen to Madonna and Mariah Carey. But the endless days and nights in recording studios and on the road didn't just result in hits: The Baton Rouge, La.–born-and-bred Jackson ate all of the wrong foods—in particular, "Southern-fried favorites" and sweets—spent more time jamming on his bass than exercising, and eventually tipped the scales at more than 350 pounds.

Being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1999 served as a major wake-up call. Almost immediately Jackson turned his focus to his health and well-being. Today, thanks to a balanced diet, exercise, gastric bypass surgery, and a whole lot of serious commitment, he's dropped more than 100 pounds, his cholesterol is down, and his blood glucose has been fine without medication for almost 5 years.

When Patti LaBelle learned she had diabetes after passing out onstage 14 years ago, the legendary singer said she thought that meant no more fun in the kitchen.

For years, the Grammy Award winner loved to whip up "twelve-egg potato salad, seven-cheese macaroni and all that stuff that I used to eat like crazy," LaBelle, 64, tells PEOPLE. "I was hooked on fried chicken and pasta."

Determined to get her diabetes in check, the singer completely revamped the way she cooked – and gave herself an attitude adjustment. "I said, 'I'm not going to let it get me,' " says LaBelle, whose third cookbook, Recipes for the Good Life, comes out this month.

She still gives her meals "diva love," but LaBelle sticks to recipes from her book’s Light and Healthy chapter. "Instead of frying my fish, like I used to do, I sauté it. I spice everything," says the singer, who also has a line of spice blends. "Because I can’t use butter, these days I am a fresh garlic fanatic."