Is Richard Simmons Being Held Hostage in His Home? His Rep Addresses the Rumors

Doesn't this feel like Déjà vu?

Richard Simmons has not been seen in public since early 2014, and now, for the second time, there are rumors going around that the fitness guru is being held hostage in his own home.

In the latest episode of the podcast Missing Richard Simmons, Richard's longtime friend and former masseuse, Mauro Oliveira, claimed the 68-year-old is being unwillingly held in his LA home by his maid, Teresa Reveles.

Richard in 2013.

However, Richard's spokesperson, Tom Estey, has denied those false allegations. "Teresa has been working with him for 27 years. So, holding him hostage is the biggest, I mean… Teresa is the housekeeper, she's the caretaker, she is extraordinary, she is amazing, she takes impeccable care of Richard and she has for as long as I have been working with Richard. So that is a complete load of crap."

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In February 2015, Estey told Closer Weekly Richard was doing well following rumors he was in bad health. "Richard is 100 percent fine," he exclusively revealed at the time. "Because he has been so visual and out they’re for so long, he wanted to take this time for himself. It’s a much-needed break."

And now, Estey is still justifying Richard's public absences nearly four months after he closed his workout studio for good.

Richard at his workout studio.

"People claim that it happened overnight. It really didn't. We were turning down stuff for years and just kind of quieting down, and when he decides that he wants to come back, that's when he'll come back, and when that will be, I have no idea or if he will at all. There really isn't anything to report," he said.

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Estey angrily concluded, "We did not cooperate nor participate in this podcast because we didn't feel the need to nor did we want to. All these things distract from his legacy and I will not allow that to happen because this man is a world treasure. He has helped millions of people lose millions of pounds. He has saved millions of lives, spent millions and millions of his own money helping and saving people's lives. This man is a saint, so treat him like a saint and leave him alone."