Paula Deen Returns to TV to Talk About Her New Documentary After Scandal: 'Thought I Was Gonna Die of a Broken Heart'
Fox News Paula Deen appeared onFox & Friendsahead of a new documentary about her life The former Food Network star said she "would not have survived" without support from her fans following her 2013 firing as a result of her admission to using a racial slur Canceled: The Paula Deen Storypremieres at the Toronto International Film Festival in September Paula Deengot candid about past struggles during a new appearance onFox & Friends. The former Food Network star's television appearance comes ahead ofCanceled: The Paula Deen Story,a documentary premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September that examinesthe scandal that shatteredher multimillion-dollar empire more than a decade ago. Deen was on the Food Network for 11 yearsbefore she was fired in 2013, as a result of her admission to using a racial slurin a sworn deposition. The deposition was part of a lawsuit filed by Lisa Jackson, a former manager of one of Paula's restaurants, Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House. A federal judge in Georgia dismissed the lawsuitafter a settlement was reached. During the Aug. 20segment with host Steve Doocyfilmed in her kitchen in Savannah, Ga., Deen, 78, reflected on her life, including a 20-year battle with agoraphobia. "I self-diagnosed myself after watchingThe Phil Donahue Show,with these people that couldn't leave their house," she recalled in the interview, which aired on Wednesday, Aug. 20. "And I considered what I would call a functioning sometimes-agoraphobic." "You're so afraid someone's going to hurt you," she said. "I had lost my daddy when he was just 40. He was the star of my life. And then my mother, my best friend, I lost her at 44, four years later. I had a 16-year-old brother to try to finish raising and I had two babies under 3." Deen welcomed two sons with her first husband, Jimmy Deen: Jamie, born in 1967, and Bobby, born in 1970. She has been married to her second husband, Michael Groover, since 2004. Fox News One morning, she said woke up and had an epiphany that inspired her to turn a corner. "The Serenity Prayer went through my head, and I said, 'Girl, you are so stupid. That's what you're supposed to be asking God for, to be able to accept the serenity to accept the things you couldn't change, the courage to change the things that you could, and dear lord, please give me the sense to know the difference between those two things.'" Doocy then said the story was part of Paula's upcoming documentary, which prompted her to share her feelings on the film. "My children and I were a little leery at first," she revealed. "But then we decided — let me tell you something, Steve. I thought I was going to die of a broken heart. And I said I couldn't let myself fall back into that terrible [agoraphobia]. But I had, like, 5 and a half, 6 million people come in on my Facebook and put their arms around me. And without y'all, I would not have survived." Deen has lost various partnerships in the wake of her controversy, but has since made other television appearances. Daniel Boczarski/Getty In 2015, she joined the cast ofDancing with the Starsas a contestant for the show's 21st season. In 2018, shereturned cooking televisionwithPositively Paula, which aired for two seasons on RFD-TV and in syndication around the country. Earlier this month, Deen announced that two of her eateries — including her "flagship restaurant" — had closed. On Aug. 1, she revealed on bothFacebookand herofficial websitethat the Lady & Sons, her decades-old Savannah restaurant, and her nearby restaurant, The Chicken Box, had both shuttered. "Hey, y'all, my sons and I made the heartfelt decision that Thursday, July 31st, was the last day of service for The Lady & Sons and The Chicken Box. Thank you for all the great memories and for your loyalty over the past 36 years," Paula wrote in a statement, also signed by Jamie and Bobby. "We have endless love and gratitude for every customer who has walked through our doors. We are equally grateful to our incredible staff — past and present — whose hard work, care, and hospitality made The Lady & Sons what it was. Savannah will always be our home, and we'll always be here to support our wonderful community." Paula added that she'd now be focusing on her four Paula Deen's Family Kitchen locations in Pigeon Forge, Myrtle Beach, Nashville, and Branson. "We're excited to continue visiting these restaurants regularly, starting with Branson on August 8th," she wrote. Read the original article onPeople
Paula Deen Returns to TV to Talk About Her New Documentary After Scandal: 'Thought I Was Gonna Die of a Broken Heart' Fox News Paula...
