‘Only time will tell’: Cake Boss star Buddy Valastro says he may never make cakes again after devastating hand injury
- The Food Network star, 43, seriously damaged the nerves in his right hand
- It happened as a result of a malfunction in his home bowling alley in September
- The celebrity baker has had three surgeries and faces more procedures as well as ongoing physical therapy
- Valastro told ET his fingers will ‘always feel numb and stiff’
- ‘It’s just really gonna be a matter of time to see exactly what comes back,’ he said
Cake Boss star Buddy Valastro says he may never make cakes again following a devastating accident that seriously damaged his right hand.
The celebrity baker, 43, is admitting that ‘only time will tell’ if he’ll regain the use and dexterity of his hand.
‘Honestly, I don’t know how much I’m going to be able to do,’ he said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight Thursday. ‘I don’t really have as much motion, as much strength, dexterity … So, it’s really just a matter of continuing to do rehab.’
Uncertain future: Cake Boss star Buddy Valastro said in an interview Thursday that he may never make cakes again following an accident that seriously damaged his right hand
Valastro explained that while the scars have healed, he suffered extensive nerve damage and that his fingers will ‘always feel numb and stiff’.
‘I’d say I’m probably at, like, 10 or 15 percent of the strength that I used to have…. It’s just really gonna be a matter of time to see exactly what comes back with the nerve too,’ he said.
He has had three surgeries on his right hand and faces two or three more procedures depending on his progress in physical therapy.
It could also take up to a year for the swelling in his hand to go down.
Devastating injury: Valastro, in an interview with ET, explained that while scars have healed, he suffered extensive nerve damage and that his fingers will ‘always feel numb and stiff’
Long road to recovery: The Food Network personality, pictured earlier this month in a promotional event for Caesars Casino, has had three surgeries on his right hand and faces two or three more depending on his progress in physical therapy
Painful: It could also take up to a year for the swelling in his hand to go down, he revealed
He suffered the potentially career-ending injury when a pinsetter in his home bowling alley malfunctioned, trapping his hand inside the unit as he tried to release the bowling pin from the cage mechanism.
A one-and-a-half inch metal rod pierced his hand three times between his ring finger and middle finger.
His sons Buddy Jr., 16, and Marco, 13, had to use a saw to free their father from the machine and he was hospitalized for treatment.
He told ET that he’s trying to stay optimistic about the future and is focusing on the positives.
‘I still have my hand right. I could’ve lost fingers and could’ve went through my wrist and been a lot worse. So, I’m taking it day by day and cake by cake,’ Valastro said.
Hospitalized: Valastro’s hand was pierced three times with a metal rod after it got trapped in a pinsetter at his home bowling alley in September. His sons had to use a saw to cut him free
The Cake Boss star is promoting his Food Network special Buddy vs. Christmas that was filmed before his accident.
The holiday special is set to premiere on the channel on Sunday.
TLC is also set to air a two-hour special on December 23 about the reality star’s journey since the accident and how he’s working on healing his hand.
Back on TV: The Cake Boss star, pictured in 2016, is promoting his Food Network special Buddy vs. Christmas that was filmed before his accident