STAR SPEAKS OUT
RICHARD Simmons has broken his silence following the release of a new documentary that claims to expose why the fitness guru vanished from the public eye for years.
In a Facebook post believed to have been shared by Simmons, the once flamboyant wellness expert expressed his gratitude for the "kindness and love" he's received in the past days.
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"Thank you, everyone, for your kindness and love! ❤️. Love, Richard," he captioned the post that featured a picture of a happy face emoji holding a "thank you" banner.
Wednesday's post shocked fans as Simmons' official Facebook account regularly posts old clips and workout videos.
He has not posted a message directly from himself on his page in years.
The last public snap of the once renowned fitness tycoon came on April 20, 2017, from his Los Angeles home following a hospital stay.
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In the photo, Simmons, who was wearing a white baseball cap, was sitting in the back of the vehicle and hiding under a blanket.
He was driven into the garage of his home.
Simmons, now 74, waited inside the garage before cops and his manager arrived on the scene.
Days after the snaps were taken, Simmons posted on Facebook: “Hope you’re having a beautiful Sunday.
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“I wanted to take a moment to send a big thank you to the wonderful doctors, nurses, and staff at Cedars Sinai Medical Center during my short stay there this week.
“They make you feel good even though you’re in the hospital for feeling bad.”
Simmons was hospitalized for indigestion and said that he felt under the weather.
STRANGE THEORIES
He disappeared from the limelight in 2014, fueling social media users to speculate about his whereabouts.
One claimed he was allegedly being held hostage by his housekeeper.
However, Simmons' brother Lenny denied the strange rumors, adding that he's "looking after himself".
He said in 2017 that Simmons “just wants time for himself".
Simmons’ spokesperson, Tommy Estey, said: “He’s helped millions of people lose millions of pounds. And for 40 years, he took care of everyone but himself.”
And, other baseless rumors wrongly speculated that Simmons had changed his gender – claims which were again rebuked by his team.
The documentary “What Really Happened to Richard Simmons?” has attempted to solve the mystery.
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'BIRTH DEFECT'
TMZ managing editor Fabian Garcia revealed in the program that Simmons is battling a birth defect.
Garcia said: “He was born without a full set of bones in his foot and it causes physical and emotional problems.”
He claimed that it’s “directly connected to his disappearance”.
Simmons, who has made a name for himself running gyms, reportedly used the defect as motivation to become fit and healthy.
He told People he had kick-started his career after receiving an anonymous note on his car which read: "Fat people die young; please don’t die."
He himself had been 268 pounds before changing his lifestyle and losing more than 100 pounds.
Documentary producer Charles Latibeaudiere claimed that Simmons found “comfort” in food during his childhood.
The show featured an interview of Simmons from 1980, where he revealed he was the largest kid in school.
He said: “I went to my first Halloween party dressed as a couch. I was the one made fun of.”
TMZ founder Harvey Levin told Fox4 they have two possible answers for what sparked his disappearance.
He said: "He [Simmons] was everywhere...and then everything just ended. There are all sorts of wild theories."
"We have answers - we know what happened to Richard Simmons, where he is, and what he does, " Levin added.
"There are two big things and probably either one could have caused this, one more than the other."
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Levin added: "We found out he likes going to the beach, he’ll go shopping.
"There has not been a single paparazzi agency...that has gotten anything of Richard Simmons out in public in more than eight years."