Rachael Ray is known for many things — high levels of energy, widespread knowledge of cooking despite never having attended culinary school, and tons of drive — but one of her most defining characteristics is her gravelly voice. Whether you watched her long-running syndicated show or not, chances are that if you are familiar with Ray, you are also familiar with her signature rasp.
While Ray has sounded this way for as long as she has been famous, cigarettes or any other voice-altering substance are not to blame for her gruff voice. In fact, Ray has struggled with her voice for her entire life, and it was especially bad pre-puberty. And, sure, a raspy voice can be cool, but not if has been the cause of medical issues or takes away one’s ability to communicate on the regular.
Ray’s voice box has continuously been a problem for her, as she caught croup, an infection that affects the airway, when she was growing up. “I had a lot of croup as a kid so I don’t have the strongest vocal cords to begin with,” Ray told People in 2006. “I went to a voice doctor [who] taught me exercises for my throat and to cut back a little on the caffeine.” In 2008, Ray also had to go in for surgery to remove a cyst on one of her vocal cords, but she was back to her bubbly, gravelly-voiced self after a week of strict vocal rest.
