Bob Barker's partner Nancy Burnet updates fans on 'The Price is Right' host's health as he turns 99
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'The Price is Right' icon Bob Barker turns 99 on Monday, December 12, and his longtime girlfriend shares updates on his health. Nancy Burnet, 79, the host's companion for 40 years talked about his present life and their life together in an interview before his birthday. Barker hosted 'The Price is Right' for 35 years until his retirement from TV in 2007.
"He's going to be 99, and he takes one prescription medication and that's for his thyroid," Burnet told Fox News, adding that he is in "very good health for his age". She further added that "His health care or anyone who comes in to see him, they'll say, 'Well, we'd like a list of his medications."
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Celebrating 99 years around the sun, Barker has a huge fan following across generations globally as Barker Era clips of 'The Price is Right' have surfaced on social media over the past years.
Happy 99th birthday to #BobBarker!
— The Price Is Right: The Barker Era (@TPIRBarker) December 12, 2022
This mural is on the wall of Studio 46 at Television City. #ThePriceIsRight #spayandneuteryourpets pic.twitter.com/PcJ5Fuqqtq
“Barker is doing great and will be very aware of all of the birthday wishes he will be receiving on his 99th birthday,” Burnet said in a press release in which his publicist Roger Neal said that "He will spend his birthday at home watching his favorite tv shows and will spend it quietly."
Talking about the improvement in his health after switching to a vegan diet 20 years ago, Brunet said: "It was not to replace meals but to enhance everything," she explained. Barker had been a long-time vegetarian before turning vegan. "To take that in addition to his meals, because he was not doing well. He was looking tired and kind of frail, not just not looking healthy. And, you know, if you're going to be a vegetarian and vegan, you better know what you're doing," Burnet told Fox News.
Back in 2018, the TV host was hospitalized due to severe back pain. Barker has suffered from certain injuries for the past few years. In 2015, he fell on the sidewalk outside his Los Angeles home injuring his knee and also received stitches in his forehead. Again after a slip and fall incident at his home, Barker injured his head and was hospitalized in 2017. In January 2019, he was given emergency treatment following another serious fall at his home.
With a row of incidents of injuries, the TV personality's girlfriend says that "His doctors are quite surprised, anytime that they have seen him, how healthy he looks for his age, and they're surprised that he takes nothing else,", pointing out that he has recovered from the previous row of injuries.
"He never grew tired of it. I'm not sure I could do the same show every day. But he never grew bored with it. So maybe that's why it was so successful because he was always ready to do it and happy to do it.", Burnet told Fox News while talking about his time at 'The Price is Right' show.
In 1954, Barker debuted on television through the stunt comedy show 'Truth or Consequences' and while hosting the show, he was selected to host 'The Price is Right' in 1972. In 1988, became the executive producer of 'The Price is Right', the longest-running game show in history. Under the outstanding game show host category, Barker has won 14 Daytime Emmy Awards, still unachieved by any other hosts.
The Washington native and popular emcee is the president of the nonprofit organization United Activists for Animal Rights, which was founded in 1987. Burnet told Fox News that it was at an animal adoption event they met for the first time. The event held on March 27, 1983, was hosted by Barker with actor Earl Holliman. He credited his late wife Dorothy Jo Gideon who died from lung cancer for his love for animals and for working for their rights.
With 50 years of being on television, the Emmy award winner hosted 'The Price is Right' show for 35 years until 2007 when he retired from television.