Guy Fieri has opened up about the terrifying accident that left him in pain but gave him a new appreciation for health and mobility.
He Dinners, drive-ins and diving host revealed to Entertainment Weekly that while filming his upcoming Food Network series Flavortown Food Fighthe slipped down the stairs of his trailer during a rainy week in Northern California.
The fall left him with a serious injury.
“My foot slipped and I went down the stairs, and my right leg got caught in the doorway,” Fieri recalled.
“So I was halfway through doing the splits going down the stairs, about a three-foot drop, and then he just took that leg and compressed it, split my quadriceps in the middle of my leg in half. Literally in half.”
The accident required surgery followed by weeks in a wheelchair and then on crutches.
While Fieri has since recovered, the ordeal changed his perspective.
“It gives you courage to be healthy,” he said.
“You look at people who have disabilities and you realize we take a lot of things for granted. People who use crutches and stuff, you know, next time you see someone on crutches, maybe clear the way a little bit. Open the door for them.”
Beyond the physical scars, Fieri said the experience taught him “the hard lessons of life.”
He credited his wife and children for stepping up during his recovery, especially during the holidays.
“Seeing my wife…carrying groceries. That’s just not how it works in my world,” he explained.
“My kids took a big step forward at Thanksgiving and Christmas, they cooked. There were a lot of positives. But now I’m better, now I’m back.”
And it’s back in more ways than one.
Fieri is previewing the new Tournament of Champions season and teasing a dramatic makeover tied to its partnership with Bosch for Super Bowl LIX.
