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Richard Simmons' Rep Addresses Claims That He's Being Held "Hostage"

Richard Simmons' publicist Tom Estey has slammed a new popular podcast called 'Missing Richard Simmons' that attempts to solve the mystery of why exactly the fitness guru has been missing from the public eye for several years. 

In the latest episode of the series, Simmons' former masseuse Mauro Oliveira claims that the 68-year-old is being held hostage at his L.A. home against his will by his maid Teresa Reveles.

"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," Estey tells E! News. 

He goes on to insist that Simmons merely grew tired of being in the public eye.

"People claim that it happened overnight. It really didn't," he explains. 

"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."