Richard Simmons: 'I Am Not Kidnapped'

HOLLYWOOD, CA - Fitness guru Richard Simmons, responding to a tabloid story that suggests he was being held against his will by his housekeeper, said he is fine and is not being held captive by anyone.

In a phone interview with Entertainment Tonight, Simmons said he's "been taking it easy" since his last public appearance in 2013.

"I love all the people who worry about me," Simmons told Entertainment Tonight. "But it was time for me to take some time to be by myself."

Simmons was responding to a lengthy story published by the New York Daily News this past Saturday and said the story was 'hurtful.' The story cited several unnamed sources expressing concern for his well-being.

Simmons' last public appearance was at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in 2013.

One of the people expressing concern for the fitness guru is his former assistant, Mauro Oliveira. Oliveira believes Simmons housekeeper is holding him captive through witchcraft.

“That’s what I believe,” Oliveira told ABC News. “I said, ‘Is she controlling your life now?’ and he said, ‘Yes.’”

Simmons' representative, however, said the allegations were "absolutely untrue."

"It’s ridiculous because this is really a non-story," Tom Estey told ABC News.

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