Former Food Network star Rachael Ray has broken her silence after sparking health concerns from fans as she was seen struggling to speak and slurring her words in a new video.
The 56-year-old chef sparked fear in fans this week as she posted a video on Instagram where she was seen running her words together. After the worrisome post, many fans feared that her trouble speaking could be alcohol-related or health fears. In response to these fears, Rachael's representative told TMZ that she has "no comment" on the matter.
While this issue seems apparent in many of her videos over the past month, many fans picked up on it after her latest post. In the clip, Rachael was paying tribute to the legendary Tony Bennett. In honor of the anniversary of his death, Rachael was whipping up his favorite dish ossobuco - featuring veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine, and broth.
In the video, Rachael humorously recalled the time she "almost killed" the great Tony Bennett after inviting the singer and his wife Susan Crow over for dinner. She shared: "When I pulled out the chair for Tony to sit down for his starter snacks and aperitivo, the chair slid out from under him and he hit his head on my marble counter behind him, and he fell to the floor."
Rachael went on to jokingly add: "I thought I killed Tony Bennett. I thought I killed him, literally. And his wife, Susan – so glorious – she says to me, 'Rachael, he's fine. He'll pop back up. Just let him be.' He made it all through dinner. I miss my friend so much. The most beautiful man, maybe ever.'"
And while she was sharing the fond memory, viewers couldn't help but notice that her typical fast-placed speech was significantly slower, and she even seemed to slur her words at certain points of the video. Underneath the clip, many fans picked up on this and expressed their concerns.
One fan commented: "I love you but are you ok? I’m seriously concerned. Another speculated: "She looks and acts like she has been drinking all the time. I love Racheal but she's do hard to watch like this." While a third chimed in: "I think it's a mini-stroke. Part of her mouth seems sinking. When was this???? I haven't seen her this makes me so sad."
Others ran to her defense, as one supporter commented: "Can we stop being internet doctors? Rachael Ray put in years in this industry. If she's going through a health issue, let's wish her well but calling her names or making fun of her is downright terrible. What's wrong with some of y'all?"
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