Richard Simmons has revealed he is being treated for skin cancer, just one day after the fitness guru caused concern by saying he was “dying.”
Simmons posted his latest health update to Facebook on March 19, with details about his cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“Mirror mirror on the wall what’s that blemish which is so small? There was this strange looking bump under my right eye. I had a tube of Neosporin which I would put on in the morning and the evening… it was still there. It was time to call my dermatologist,” he wrote in the lengthy post.
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After a round of tests, Simmons said his doctor gave him the diagnosis.
“He comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C word. You have cancer,” he recalled. “I asked him what kind of cancer and he said. Basel Cell Carcinoma. I told him to stop calling me dirty names. He laughed.”
Simmons said he was told to visit a “cancer doctor” and began treatments.
“He explained that he has to burn my skin to remove the cancer cells,” he shared after visiting an oncologist.
Simmons said the procedure was painful and he was told to return for another round of treatment.
After undergoing three rounds of treatment, he posted an update this morning, writing: “We got all the cancer cells out.”
The post came one day after Simmons shared an alarming post on Facebook saying: “I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I am…. dying.”
He continued, “Oh I can see your faces now. The truth is we all are dying. Every day we live we are getting closer to our death.” He then shared several recommendations for living a healthy lifestyle, including starting the day with a balanced breakfast.
Hours later when the post went viral, he issued an apology.
“Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in touch with me. I am not dying,” he wrote in a follow-up post.
The flamboyant fitness legend has mostly remained out of the spotlight since 2014, causing many fans to wonder why he disappeared.
In a 2022 documentary, TMZ reported Simmons left public life behind after getting a double knee replacement that affected his ability to exercise.