Richard Simmons Breaks Silence After Hospitalization: 'Hope to See You Again Soon'
Richard Simmons has given fans an update on his health after his rep, Michael Catalano, told ET that the fitness guru was hospitalized for "severe indigestion" on Monday.
Posting to his Facebook page on Wednesday, Simmons opens up about his well-being, and why he hasn't been seen out in public for over three years. He also included a photo of himself from 2014. “Hello to everyone who has shown concern for me and sent their good wishes," he says. "You will never know how much it means to me. Aren’t you sick of hearing and reading about me?! LOL."
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The Sweatin' to the Oldies star then seems to make a reference to the wildly popular podcast, Missing Richard Simmons, whose host, Dan Taberski,set out to find out why Simmons retreated from the spotlight. "Well, by now you know that I’m not ‘missing,’ just a little under the weather," the 68-year-old celebrity writes. "I’m sure I will be feeling good and back home in a couple of days."
Simmons goes on to stress the importance of having a strong support system. “This has reminded me that when you need help you can’t be afraid to reach out and ask for it," he notes. "We all think we should always be able to solve our problems all by ourselves and sometimes it’s just bigger than we are.”
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“I reached out and I hope you will too. I’m sure there are people in your life who love and care for you and would do anything to help you with the challenges you face," he adds. "Just knowing you care has already made me feel better."
Simmons -- who has not been seen publicly since February 2014 -- concludes his statement by declaring, "Hope to see you again soon!"
ET received an exclusive statement from Simmons' rep after the Facebook message was posted. “Richard wanted his many well-wishers to know he is absolutely feeling the love so he posted the below message on his FB page today," Catalano said. "He has received tens of thousands of messages, cards, texts and emails. He is overwhelmed by the show of love and concern.”
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This isn't the first time Simmons has sought to comfort fans while remaining unseen. In March 2016, ET exclusively spoke with Simmons over the phone, and he insisted that "no one should be worried about me."
"I love all the people who worry about me," he told ET. "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… 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."
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