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Richard Simmons taught his last exercise class three years ago – and hasn’t been seen in public ever since.
Everyone is wondering what happened to the fitness guru and a few members of his inner circle have finally revealed to People magazine why he’s taken refuge inside his Hollywood Hills home.
Richard’s brother Lenny tells People: “After 40-odd years he just decided that he wants to rest, and I certainly can’t blame him. If I have any message at all for his fans, it’s this: It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love and think about his fans, he just decided that it’s time for him to be quiet and enjoy his life… it’s his decision not to be seen.”
His longtime manager, Michael Catalano, says rumors that Simmons is transitioning into a woman is “absolutely untrue” and that he’s in excellent health.
“He’s trim and has a beard. The other day I told him, ‘There are people who think you are a very overweight, depressed woman,’ and he just laughed.”
Lenny says that Richard just enjoys hanging out in his garden and watching the hummingbirds.
“When I look at him, he still looks like my brother – he has the beard, and his hair is a little grayer, but you expect that at 68,” says Lenny. “He never says, ‘I wish I was doing this, or I’m upset about that.’ It’s more, ‘I enjoyed doing what I did, I hope I made a contribution, but I don’t miss it.’”
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