5 things to know about fitness guru Richard Simmons

Richard Simmons has been a figure of great intrigue over the past few years. With TMZ: Investigates' upcoming episode on FOX, a renewed interest in the fitness instructor has been witnessed, who suddenly moved away from the public spotlight in 2014. His disappearance was the subject of much discussion and debate, with some even coming up with wild conspiracy theories to explain his sudden withdrawal.

Though Simmons, who became an exercise mogul over his long career, has not made any public appearances in the past few years, TMZ reported that he is frequently seen leaving his house. Richard Simmons helped many people around the world with his exercise routines.

Despite all the rumors, his brother Lenny has confirmed that nothing is wrong with the fitness guru. Lenny said, "After 40-some odd years, he just decided that he wants to rest."

Ahead of TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons that airs on August 22, 2022, here are five quick and interesting facts about Richard Simmons.

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Five interesting facts about Richard Simmons

1) An anonymous note was the reason behind Richard Simmons' transformation

The fitness guru helped many change their body form and weight. However, before all that, he had himself lost weight in an unexpected way. The journey allegedly started after Simmons found an anonymous note on his car's windshield.

In 1968, the future fitness guru was working as a fat model in Europe. During this time, he found an anonymous note saying, "Fat people die young...Please don’t die. Anonymous." This triggered his fitness journey, that began with addressing an eating disorder.

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2) Richard worked in his last exercise at the asylum, now called Slimmons, in 2016

Simmons called it quits after his 2016 appearance at the asylum, Slimmons. Since then, he has avoided all kinds of public appearances. This had initially sparked some rather outrageous theories about the flamboyant fitness instructor.

However, his family and spokesperson confirmed that he is well and good. He has seemingly retired to make time for himself. His 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."

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3) Richard Simmons' sudden disapperance sparked some of the weirdest conspiracy theories

The sudden disappearance of Richard from the limelight was a source of much controversy. Unsurprisingly, curious fans were keen to figure out why the flamboyant personality left Hollywood fame. However, some of them were rather overly creative.

Amongst the rumors surrounding Simmons' disappearance, one conspiracy theory claimed that Simmons was being held hostage by his housekeeper while another claimed that he was transitioning into a woman.

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4) Simmons appeared in two Federico Fellini films

Yes, you read that right. Fitness guru Simmons has previously appeared in two films by arguably the greatest director in Italy, Federico Fellini. Simmons played parts in Satyricon and The Clowns before he slimmed down. The footage of his appearance in the two films is reportedly among the only surviving footage that captured the celebrity's former self.

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5) Richard Simmons does not like restaurants

Richard has admitted that he very rarely visits restaurants as people around him are always interested in seeing what he eats. For this reason, he always orders his food at home and even avoids visiting grocery stores.

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TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons will premiere on August 22, 2022.