'Doing great': Housekeeper not holding Richard Simmons hostage

American fitness guru Richard Simmons, who hasn’t been seen outside his home in three years, is “doing great” and not being held hostage by his housekeeper.

Only in America would someone’s disappearance become the subject of a hit podcast, but that is exactly what became of Simmons’ unexplained exit from the limelight.

Questions were raised when the flamboyant 68-year-old did not show up to teach his exercise class back in 2014, with theories emerging that sounded more like Hollywood blockbusters.

“There was something about his housekeeper holding him hostage and not allowing people to see him and preventing him from making phone calls and it was all garbage and that’s why we went out to see him. None of it is true,” LAPD detective Kevin Becker confirmed.

Simmons’ brother Lenny took to Entertainment Tonight to confirm that his brother wasn’t tied up in his basement.

“I talked to him on Sunday, he was doing great. He was asking about our renovations to our home. And we had just gone to see the Broadway musical, Beautiful,” Lenny said.

“After all those years, I don’t know how he did it. He was on 24/7, at least.

“Teresa is a very lovely lady. She has been a good friend of my brother for over 20 some odd years, it stresses me to hear that people think that she is holding him hostage.

“I would just hope people (could) be a little bit more respectful and realise that he’s worked hard and he still loves people — but he needs some time for himself.”

Meanwhile the podcast, ‘Missing Richard Simmons’, has been heavily criticised for violating the privacy of a man that clearly just wants to be left alone.

That has not got in the way of its success, with the controversial podcast soaring to number one on the i Tunes charts.