Richard Simmons' Rep Responds to Claims in 'Missing' Podcast

A rep for Richard Simmons is speaking out to deny the claims being made in the popular new podcast, Missing Richard Simmons.

In the recently released third episode, host Dan Taberski talks with one of Richard‘s fellow former friends Mauro Oliveira about his disappearance from the public eye. The former weight loss guru has not been seen in public since February 2014.

Mauro claims that Richard is being held hostage in his home by housekeeper Theresa Reveles and he talks about the last time he visited his friend at his house in May 2014.

“She realized that I was in the house, she started screaming like a witch, ‘No no no no, get out, get out! I don’t want him here!’ Richard looked at me and said, ‘You got to go.’ I said, ‘Really? Is she controlling your life now?’ and he said yes. And that I have to leave,” Mauro said.

Click inside to read what Richard Simmons’ rep said in response…

Richard‘s rep Tom Estey called the claims a “complete load of crap” in a conversation with People.

“Theresa has been working with him for, since I’ve been working with him [27 years]. So, holding him hostage is the biggest, I mean … Theresa 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,” he said.

“Richard made a choice. To live a more private life. If he decides to come back, he’ll come back … 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,” Tom added.

“We did not cooperate nor participate in this podcast because we didn’t feel the need to nor did we want to,” Tom continued. “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.”

Go to MissingRichardSimmons.com right now to hear the podcast.