Richard Simmons has revealed that he has been diagnosed skin cancer shortly after posting a cryptic message on social media.
The iconic fitness personality took to Facebook on Tuesday to reveal he had been diagnosed with skin cancer, a day he apologised for posting a worrying message claiming he was dying.
The 75-year-old said he had recently visited his dermatologist after finding a “strange looking bump” under his 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. Now I am getting a little bit nervous,” Richard wrote. “He comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C word. You have cancer. I asked him what kind of cancer and he said. Basel (sic) Cell Carcinoma. I told him to stop calling me dirty names. He laughed.”
The fitness guru explained that he then went to see a cancer specialist for treatment.
“He explained that he has to burn my skin to remove the cancer cells,” Richard recalled. “There was no numbing it just had to be done with a small instrument. As he started burning my skin a tear dropped down my cheek. You can’t cry during this and he wiped my tear. The burning really hurt my skin. It lasted about 30 minutes.”
The Sweatin’ to the Oldies star said when he returned to the doctor’s office an hour and a half later, he was told the treatment had failed to remove all of the cancer.
“After driving around the city, I went back to some sad news. I didn’t get it all out,” he wrote. “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.”
“To be continued,” Richard concluded the post.
Richard’s announcement comes after he announced in a Facebook post that he was “dying”. However, he clarified hours later that he was “not dying”, adding, “It was a message about how we should embrace every day we have. Sorry for the confusion”.