Rachael Ray Launches New Show Amid Fans’ Health Concerns

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Rachael Ray has a special holiday gift for fans — another new show!

The 56-year-old TV personality debuted her latest show, Rachael Ray’s Holidays on A&E on Sunday, December 8. She had announced the new series the day before, posting a video teaser to her Instagram account.

“Join me in my kitchen for Rachael Ray’s Holidays 🎄 where I’m cooking up some of my go-to holiday recipes 📒 to help make your gatherings shine extra bright this year 🌟 From savory chestnut and sausage stuffing to tender rosemary prime rib, spicy beef and chorizo chili, and a show-stopping holiday lasagna 👀 there’s something delicious for every celebration 🎉,” she wrote in the video’s caption.

Rachael Ray’s Holidays premiered with two episodes, which were followed by the A&E premiere of her show Rachael Ray’s Rebuild — which debuted on Hulu last year — in which she and her team help disaster-impacted families. She also boasts two shows on FYI: Rachael Ray in Tuscany and Rachael Ray’s Meals in Minutes.

“Cooking and entertaining are both central parts of my life, but around the holidays it takes on an especially significant role for myself, my family, and many others,” Ray said in a press release for the new series obtained by TV Insider.

“It’s a time [when] we all gather to celebrate, and the joy of food and cooking is so unifying, so I’m especially excited to invite audiences into my home to share the familial traditions and recipes that make this time so meaningful,” the release read.

News of the new series comes amid health concerns for the cooking show star dating back to September. A video posted on September 2 drew fans’ concern regarding Ray’s appearance and speech, with some speculating that she might be experiencing health issues.

She did not address the speculation, or fans claiming she was “slurring her words,” in September. However, on an October episode of her new podcast I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, Ray did reveal that she’d “had a couple of bad falls in the last couple of weeks.”

She didn’t explain how the falls happened or how they impacted her aside from the fact that she hasn’t been able to do certain chores around the house lately because of it, like “helping to carry in the wood.”

Ray, who did have vocal cord surgery in 2008, has spoken publicly before about different issues she’s had with her voice. “I had a lot of croup as a kid, so I don’t have the strongest vocal cords to begin with. I went to a voice doctor [who] taught me exercises for my throat and to cut back on caffeine,” she told People in 2006.