Television host and actress Ricki Lake is opening up about a devastating time in her life, reflecting on her feelings after losing her home in the Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025.
Ricki Lake Relocates to New York City
The former “Dancing with the Stars” competitor, who competed on Season 13, lost their Malibu home in the fires. Now, she and her husband, Ross Burningham, have since relocated to New York City to start over. In an interview with People, published on January 4, Lake revealed that her husband “took a leap of faith,” having not spent much time in New York City before.
“It’s crazy, because what we have been through from the start of the year was so traumatic and we were so at a loss of where we were going to go,” she said. “We made this very impulsive decision to move here. And honestly, it’s been the best thing we could have done for both of us.”
The silver lining is that the couple is now closer to Lake’s adult sons, Milo and Owen, who live in the city. And while Lake is trying to find her happiness and discover more about the city, she has also acknowledged that she is “still healing.”
Ricki Lake Reveals Her Challenging Year
Lake is honest about the struggles she faced in 2025, referring to the year as “so traumatizing, so harrowing… ” She added, “We did not know what we were going to do, and here we are.”
However, she and Burningham are building a life in New York City, and Lake is grateful for it. “We’ve made a life for ourselves here, I’ve created this home here — it feels very much like home,” she said. “What surprises me the most is that we’ve landed on our feet the way we have. We still are pinching ourselves that we live here, that we ride the subway every single day.”
She continued, “And I’m still healing, but I’m so grateful. I’m so grateful. I choose to be happy. I choose to find the light in the darkness. I do think perspective is so much of it. I have so much to be grateful for this year.”
There were some things to celebrate in 2025, including Lake’s fourth anniversary with her husband, which she celebrated in an Instagram post. She shared several photos of them and gave a glimpse into their coupling in the lengthy caption.
“Ross, I love doing life with you. So grateful for each and every day we share together,” part of the caption reads. “This year has rocked our world like no other and yet, through our committed partnership and bond we have managed to rise from the ashes, quite literally and pivot, and still find the joy and wonder in all of life’s surprises and hardships.”
The couple also traveled to Paris, France, which was a highlight.
