Fitness icon Richard Simmons’ disappearance from public life ‘explained’ in new doco

The sudden ‘disappearance’ of iconic fitness instructor Richard Simmons has finally been explained, thanks to a new documentary.

Simmons, now 74, was once one of the most flamboyant figures on TV, growing a major following in the US and around the world for his electric personality, passion for fitness and inclusivity of people of all shapes and sizes.

But in 2014, Simmons completely disappeared from public life.

His absence from the spotlight is investigated and explained in the new documentary on FOX, Hulu and Disney+, TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons.

Watch Simmons speak with Oprah Winfrey about his personal battles in an archive clip above.

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In his absence, rumours went wild. Some speculated Simmons was being held hostage in his home by his housekeeper, while others questioned if he was living a double life in a new body.

But TMZ‘s new documentary, led by journalist Harvey Levin, claims the fitness guru has been living at his Hollywood Hills home all along, unable to leave due to a painful ailment he has battled with since birth.

The injury is one Simmons reportedly kept secret from his fans – a “birth defect” that left him without a full set of bones in one of his feet, and has brought him great pain for most of his life.

Per The New York Post, TMZ managing editor Fabian Garcia explains Simmons’ ailment in the documentary.

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“Something that happened to him at birth is directly connected to his disappearance – a birth defect that significantly affected one of his legs,” Garcia says.

“He was born without a full set of bones in his foot and it causes physical and emotional problems.”

The documentary reportedly investigates the entirety of Simmons’ life, to help viewers understand how the star got to this point.

This includes his childhood obesity – which he talked openly about during the peak of his career – and his subsequent struggle with an eating disorder.

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In a 1980s interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show, which you can watch above, Simmons opened up about the mental toll of obesity and his battle with anorexia.

“I stopped eating and … I was in the hospital,” he told Winfrey.

“I started picturing food as the enemy. When I saw spaghetti, I saw worms.”

In the same interview, Simmons revealed he reached his heaviest weight when he graduated high school.

Simmons experienced terrible bullying in childhood because of his weight, which led him to despise food – something that, at one point, he had loved and relied on for comfort.

“You get to believe in our society that only the thin people are successful, and that’s not true at all,” he told Winfrey.

“I get very upset when anyone judges anyone by what it says on the scale. I think it’s wrong.”

While he spent the early 00s continuing to make wild and celebrated appearances on talk shows and various media events, he slowly began to retreat into himself.

TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons is available to watch on FOX, Hulu and Disney+ now.

If you or someone you know needs support relating to eating disorders, please call The Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673 or reach out for help at butterfly.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.