Richard Simmons’ House Manager of 35 Years Details Nature of Their Relationship

Richard Simmons’ longtime house manager is opening up in her first-ever broadcast interview. 

Teresa Reveles appeared on the TODAY show on Friday, July 11, speaking out against longtime rumors surrounding the nature of their widely-discussed relationship. 

When asked about the claims that she “kidnapped” the legendary fitness instructor, she laughed, saying, “No, I think he kidnapped me.”

Reveles began working for Simmons in 1987, living with him in his Hollywood Hills mansion, where he remained secluded in the years preceding his 2024 death. 

“He fall in love with me right away, he says, ‘No, you’re never gonna leave me,’ “ Reveles recalled. 

In 2016, Simmons himself shut down rumors about Reveles controlling him during a phone interview with the TODAY show. 

“That’s just very silly,” Simmons said at the time. “Teresa Reveles, she’s been with me for 30 years. It’s almost like we’re a married couple.”

During Friday’s interview, Reveles described their unconventional relationship, noting that while they were not romantic, she thought of him, “Like a brother, he was like my father, my friend, my boyfriend, my everything.”

She said that while they never had a sexual relationship, Simmons kissed her regularly. And when asked about whether Simmons had any relationships, she answered, “Me, he never loved anybody like me. He was my lover, not sexually, but he kissed me all the time.” 

After Reveles was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2023, she said he wrote her daily love letters that she shared and showed on camera. 

When it comes to responding to critics of their relationship, Reveles told TODAY, “It’s their problem. We were very happy and the last 10 years was the most happy years.” 

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Simmons never publicly acknowledged speculation surrounding his sexuality, and Reveles refused to answer that either, saying, “That answer is for Richard, not for me.” 

Simmons stayed out of the spotlight in the final years of his life, with Reveles sharing that the fitness guru wasn’t happy about aging. 

“He was not happy that he was getting old,” she said. “He says, ‘No, I want people to remember me the way I was, full of life.’ ”

Reveles was the person to find Simmons dead in his home, saying, “I went to his bedroom and I found him dead and that was a crazy sad day.”

However, Reveles insisted that Simmons was “very, very happy” at the end of his life. 

“I never saw Richard in 36 years unhappy or mean or upset,” she said. 

Reveles gave her emotional first interview to PEOPLE in July 2024, days after his death. 

“I can’t stop crying. I still can’t believe what happened,” Reveles said through tears at the time. When asked if she would rather speak at a later time, she replied, “No, I want to celebrate Richard. He died happy.”