CELEBRITY
Richard Simmons Reveals Skin Cancer Diagnosis After Worrying Fans With Confusing Post About Dying
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Richard Simmons has revealed he was diagnosed with skin cancer, a day after clarifying that he is not dying after another social media post confused fans.
The 75-year-old fitness guru on Tuesday shared his story about calling his dermatologist about this strange looking bump under my right eye.”
“I sat in his chair and he looked at it through a magnifying mirror. He told me he would have to scrape it and put it under the microscope,” Simmons wrote. “Now I am getting a little bit nervous. He comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C word. You have cancer.
The Sweatin’ To The Oldies star said he was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, and advised to see a cancer doctor as soon as possible. I told him to stop calling me dirty names, Simmons joked.
When he went to see Dr. Ralph A. Massey, Simmons said he met many other cancer patients in the waiting room.
“I was shocked to see all of the skin cancers that they had. Some had cancer on top of their heads … their face … and their neck,” he wrote.
“There was no numbing, it just had to be done with a small instrument,” he said of the procedure to remove the cancer. “As he started burning my skin a tear dropped down my cheek … The burning really hurt my skin. It lasted about 30 minutes.
Simmons said he was told to come back an hour and a half later to find out if the procedure had successfully removed all the cancer.
“I went back to some sad news, he explained. “He burned my face again. This time was worse than before … It was deeper. I did not cry this time but I did grit my teeth.
Simmons sparked concern among fans on Monday with a post in which he said he was dying, but cryptically added that they are, too.
I have some news to tell you. Please dont be sad. I am ….dying. 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 wrote. He went on to share advice about eating healthy and getting exercise, and urged followers to tell the ones you love that you love them.
He clarified later on Monday that the message was meant to be inspirational.
“Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in touch with me. I am not dying,” Simmons wrote. “It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have. Sorry for this confusion.
TMX contributed to this article.
