Rachael Ray Reveals How She's Coping After A Year Of Hardships
To the outside eye, it seems that celebrity cook and author Rachael Ray has it all. But the talk show host has had a year full of challenges many of us can't even contemplate, including a devastating house fire, about which she told People, "The entire property was gone. There was nothing," and a second natural disaster that has led the star to feel "grateful."
As Ray told Extra, the New York City apartment she shares with her husband of 15 years, John Cusimano, recently suffered flood damage — and that is not even the last tragedy the animal lover and pet food company entrepreneur has endured this year, with Ray's dog Isaboo having passed away in 2020 (via Animal League).
But now, Ray says she is feeling lucky to be "alive." She added, "When I lost my dog I was so grateful that I could be with her the last several months of her life... She died in my arms... I felt guilty and grateful at the same time... People suffered actual human loss from COVID or because they couldn't get care... and how many people died alone."
Rachael Ray has a great outlook on life after a tough year
Ultimately, Ray chalks up her tough year to good old misfortune, telling Extra, "The fire, the chimney burped under the roof, that's just life. So many people wrote to me and reached out and said we lost so much too, I mean that's just bad luck..."
The Food Network star went on to note about Hurricane Ida, "The apartment, we weren't there... Leaks became bigger and the roof became worse and we thought we had repaired everything... then Ida... the whole apartment, was just raining inside."
Although Ray has suffered "bad luck" this year, it's worth pointing out she's had quite a bit of good luck in her life, with her net worth now totaling $100 million per Celebrity Net Worth.
She also has love in her life, having said about Cusimano on Instagram, "John and I make sense. We don't care when we eat, we care that we eat together. And we've been together, this John and this Rachael, every day since the day we met. And that's something. It's a lot. And some days, it's everything. I love you."