Richard Simmons Refutes Claims He’s Been Kidnapped

Richard Simmons, the famed fitness guru, has spoken out against the rumors suggesting that he has been kidnapped and held at his house against his will.

Richard Simmons ‘Not Kidnapped

Simmons broke his silence Sunday, reassuring his fans that all is well, despite the fact that he has not been seen in public in roughly two years. “I am not kidnapped,” Simmons, 67, told Entertainment Tonight. “I am just in my house right now.”

“I love all the people who worry about me, but it was time for me to take some time to be by myself. For the last 40 years I have been traveling, teaching classes, and I had a knee injury, so I had a knee replacement, which was very difficult for me,” Simmons added. “I have really just been taking it easy, staying at home, working out in my gym and doing the things I haven’t done in a very long time.”

On Monday, Simmons reiterated that the time out of the spotlight has been his choice.

“I just kind of wanted to be a little bit of a loner for awhile,” Simmons told Savannah Guthrie on Today. “Right now I just sort of want to just take care of me.”

Simmons gave the pair of phone interviews following a report Saturday by the New York Daily News that claimed that Simmons’ longtime housekeeper Teresa Reveles had taken control of his life, disallowing him from leaving his home or entertaining guests. Mauro Oliveira, a friend of Simmons’, claims that the last time he saw him he was frail, and had conceded that he was being forced to live by Reveles’ rules. Reveles even went so far as to suggest that Reveles was using witchcraft to manipulate Simmons.

Defending Reveles, Simmons said in his phone interviews that every member of his staff is trustworthy.

“No one should be worried about me,” Simmons told ET. “The people that surround me are wonderful people who take great care of me.”

As for the state of his body, which, depending on who is talking has either become frail or uncharacteristically overweight, Simmons says those reports are untrue as well.

“I still weigh 150,” Simmons said. “I work out every day. I have a gym at the house, and I am very healthy.”