Why Did Rachael Ray Say She's Grateful For Being Alive?

Rachael Ray is getting very candid after a difficult period in her life. The star has always worked hard to bring some happiness to her viewers on "The Rachael Ray Show" since the series first started airing in 2006, but now she's getting very candid about experiencing a rough period that unfortunately coincided with the coronavirus pandemic.

The star has always showed off her positive attitude to fans, admitting to Guideposts in 2004 that much of her sunny outlook comes from her grandpa. "My grampa Emmanuel always said, 'You can laugh or you can cry. Just be sure to choose what you're going to cry about carefully,'" she recalled, adding, "I really believe there's no such thing as accidents, only opportunities. God gives everyone the ingredients to a good happy life. It's up to us to make the most of them."

But Ray has sadly hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons since, and she's opening up about a trio of horrific life-changing moments that happened to her in quick succession and why they've made her so grateful for her life today.

Rachael Ray opened up about a very difficult time while speaking to Extra in October. Ray admitted she was most grateful for "being alive" as she first opened up about losing her dog, Isaboo, during the coronavirus pandemic. "I was so grateful that I could be with her the last several months of her life," she said, sharing that Isaboo "died in [her] arms."

Another reason Ray is feeling so grateful is due to the horrific floods that took over her Big Apple home following Hurricane Ida in August. Fortunately, Ray wasn't there at the time, but recalled things got so bad "it was just raining inside" her apartment.

But the biggie came before that when Ray's New York home burned to the ground. In September 2020, Ray shared personal footage and photos of the incident on Instagram and on her eponymous talk show, revealing the true extent of the damage as she showed off the charred remains of the home. The property was a shell with no roof, with some of her burnt belongings inside.

Ray put much of her feelings about the tragedies into a book, "This Must be the Place," which "is about what makes a home." Ray shared she didn't cry as her home was ripped away, explaining she "wanted to talk about what home is and when you lose it you truly understand... it's a state of mind and it's who you're with and being present in a life that matters."