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Ryan Seacrest has just reflected on last year’s terrifying health scare in a very candid new interview with the Wall Street Journal – and we weren’t expecting him to be so open! If you cast your minds back to May last year, you may remember that the 46-year-old TV presenter started slurring his speech during the American Idol finale, which caused concerned fans to wonder whether he was having a stroke. Luckily, following the show, it was confirmed that that wasn’t the case, but it had been deemed that he was overworking, and he was forced to take a much-needed break.
“Ryan did not have any kind of stroke last night,” his rep told People at the time. “Like many people right now, Ryan is adjusting to the new normal and finding work-home balance, with the added stress of having to put on live shows from home. Between Live With Kelly and Ryan, American Idol, On Air With Ryan Seacrest, and the Disney Family Singalong, he has been juggling three to four on-air jobs over the last few weeks and he’s in need of rest.”
Seacrest has now gone into more detail about that very scary moment in his life, saying that although he was ordered by doctors to "do less," it's actually not as easy as it sounds when you are offered so many work opportunities. "To say no to things is difficult," the Live With Kelly and Ryan host told the WSJ. "You want to say yes. When I say no to something, I feel guilt in terms of an obligation."
He didn’t go into much detail about the American Idol incident, telling the publication that it was "personal," but went on to say that he now accepts that he isn’t invincible and knows he should take rests. "I definitely knew that I needed to slow down," Seacrest added about the May 2020 health scare. "I just had burnt myself out. I was absolutely beat and fatigued and just wasn’t letting myself accept that. Now I do." We're glad to hear that he has learnt from the experience, and hope that he will take his own advice and slow down from time to time!
And it seems like Seacrest may be taking some more time off in the not-so-distant-future for other reasons too, as he hinted that he may want to finally think about starting a family. The presenter, who is now dating 24-year-old model Aubrey Paige, said: "I start thinking about blocking off certain times in my month or year or week to focus on my personal life," he added, which we assume could be in reference to starting a family.
"I do want to have kids," he continued. "But I haven’t even gone down that path, which is nuts at my age. I think in the last year, it’s become clear to me that yes, I do want to do that…. I want to be available and present."
