Richard Simmons and I ‘had so much fun together’ before he left spotlight, Denise Austin says: ‘Greatest guy’

Richard Simmons, who left the spotlight nearly a decade ago, sparked a podcast titled “Missing Richard Simmons." The fitness guru has been active on Facebook.

Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.

"Oh my gosh, we had so much fun together," Austin told Fox News Digital. "He would hug me every single time we ever got together. He was so kind and so sweet – just the greatest guy. And he loved my daughters who still always ask about him."

"I adore him," the 65-year-old continued. "It was fun to start a career around the same time he did. And you know, I’ve done it now for 40 years. He was a big part of it. It was really fun to be around him. We just loved motivating people. That’s what makes him shine. We both want to feed people our positive energy. And I do it because everyone needs it. Everyone wants to have someone who is encouraging and uplifting. Someone who will tell you, ‘You’ve got this, you can do it. I promise you that when you’re done, you’ll feel so much better.’"