Ricki Lake was left "in disbelief" after recently being reunited with a box of old family photos she feared had been lost forever.
Over the weekend, artist Patty Scanlon posted a plea via social media for the former talk show host to get in touch with her as she believed she had stumbled across a collection of her personal snaps while browsing at the Pasadena Flea Market in California.
After connecting online, Ricki and Patty appeared in an Instagram Live on Monday and described how the "happy story" came to be.
"I couldn't believe what I was seeing because all of it was gone in the fire," The Ricki Lake Show star began, referencing the loss of her home in the Palisades Fire that ripped through California in January. "I thought they were gone forever. I had made peace. It was such a heartache and such a painful thing to kind of come to terms with that all of these memories are no longer in front of me, they're just in my mind and heart now."
Patty went on to explain how she sometimes buys photos for art inspiration and purchased the box for $20 (£15).
But when she started looking through the pictures, she realised quite a few featured Ricki and her son Milo, now 28, when he was a toddler.
"It was like the universe drove me to go and get your pictures," she smiled.
Ricki went on to thank Patty for her "kindness and generosity" for offering to meet up the next time she is in Los Angeles.
"I just can't believe the magic that is my life. It just feels like there's somebody looking out for me, because this doesn't make any sense. I'm so touched and I'm overwhelmed," the 57-year-old continued. "I cannot thank you enough for your generosity. The fact that I'm gonna get something back that I thought was lost forever makes me so happy. It's really such a cool story. It means everything to me. You made this year that's been such a challenging and remarkable year.... It feels so heartwarming. It's just truly, truly heartwarming."
As for how the box ended up at a flea market, Ricki believes she had sent the snaps to a friend some years ago, and they had ultimately been included in an estate sale.
The TV personality also shares son Owen, 24, with ex-husband Rob Sussman.
Ricki has been married to Ross Burningham since 2022, with the couple relocating to New York City after the devastating California wildfires.
