Rachael Ray Reveals She’s Recovering After a ‘Couple Bad Falls’

Rachael Ray is on the mend after suffering a “couple bad falls” in recent weeks. Launching her new podcast, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, just weeks after she sparked concern when she appeared to slur her speech in a video, the longtime Food Network favorite, 56, shared a health update with fans.

“I am a homemaker. I love chores, I love being in the kitchen. I always work with my brain every day, I’m always writing something,” Ray said during the premiere episode, during which she was joined by actress and Jason Biggs’ wife Jenny Mollen. “But I really like chores. I like what people consider physical work. I like making dinners, planning dinners, making lists.”

Although Ray said she loves “physical labor” and “helping carry in the wood,” the famed chef revealed that she hasn’t been able to do so recently, as she’s “had a couple of bad falls in the last couple of weeks, so I haven’t been doing that in a while.” Ray did not share further details on the incidents, including if she suffered any injuries as a result of the falls, but she said that she typically makes the task of carrying wood a competition with her husband, John Cusmino.

“I love carrying wood,” she said. “’ How many pieces of wood did John carry? Can I carry more? I don’t say that to John,’ I just say that to myself.”

The health update comes just a month after Ray sparked concern for her health among fans over her health after she shared a video from her FYI series Rachael Ray in Tuscany. In the clip, an emotional Ray appeared to slur her words as she told a story about her late friend Tony Bennett. Fans commenting on the post noted her slurred speech and said she looked “puffy,” with many speculating that she was experiencing health struggles. Some even suggested she may have suffered “a mini stroke.”

When asked about the video, Ray’s rep told TMZ, “no comment.” Ray also never addressed the speculation and concern, but she quickly returned to social media to share the recipe for her shrimp and chorizo paella. She has gone on to share numerous other food-centered social media posts.

The beloved chef rose to fame in the early 2000s with the arrival of her 30 Minute Meals concept to Food Network. She went on to host her own Emmy-winning cooking show, host her own cooking show, Rachael Ray, which wrapped its 17-season run last year. She has since moved on with her podcast, which she said is “about life’s journeys and what keeps us going.”