Giuliana Rancic does not have an eating disorder, the "Fashion Police" host told the "Today" show on Monday, after scrutiny from critics who said she looked too thin.

The 40-year-old mom and breast cancer survivor told NBC's Savannah Guthrie that she had lost weight in recent years because of the cancer medication she had been prescribed.

"I do not have an eating disorder. I never have had an eating disorder," Rancic said. "I want to be very clear about that. In fact, I eat a lot. People love to tweet, 'Eat a burger.' I eat burgers! It's not working!"

She also said she had felt that she needed to discuss the scrutiny of her body openly — she first opened up in People's April 13 issue — because it had become "distracting."

"It was something that I didn't feel I ever needed to talk about, because I think weight is very personal, whether you're underweight, overweight, whatever! It's your business. But it became distracting," she said.

"I would do a two-hour red carpet show, and I would be so proud of these interviews, so many fun moments, and I would go on the Internet afterwards just to see 99 percent of the comments about my weight, and not about the interviews. I basically found it very distracting and I thought, 'You know what? I think it's time to just tell the truth and tell people what's going on.'"

Rancic had a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, and she said she lost "a considerable amount of weight" thereafter from her medication.

"I was eating more than I've ever eaten but I was losing weight, and I was scared! I didn't think, 'Oh, this is great.' I thought, 'What the heck's happening to my body?' It's very scary to have cancer and be on medication. Then to start losing weight, I thought, 'Oh, my gosh. Is the cancer back?'" she said. "I went to my doctor and he said, 'A side effect from the medication you're on is weight loss.'"

Rancic also commented on her much-criticized remarks at the Oscars about Disney star Zendaya, whose dreadlocks she had joked must smell like "patchouli oil... or weed."

The comment was widely considered racist, but Rancic told Guthrie that she was really just making a crack about hippies — a fact that was lost in the TV editing process, she said.

"And in the editing process, some of the gestures I made, some of the things I said were taken out for time. I made peace signs, I said 'bohemian' twice — those were taken out for time. So when the joke aired, some people were offended by it," Rancic said.

We have schedule changes today that include NBC10's live broadcast of the Phillies Home Opener for 2015. 

The game itself -- which starts at 3:05 p.m. can be seen on NBC10.

After the game, join NBC10 for a full hour of news, then Extra at 7 p.m., Access Hollywood at 7:30 p.m. and The Voice at 8.

You can watch the NBC Nightly News live at its regular time -- 6:30 p.m. -- on your desktop or device by clicking here. If you want to see it on the big screen, flip over to Cozi-TV, which is channel 248 on Comcast, 460 on Verizon and 10.2 over the air.

A man was found dead after a brush fire near a Northampton County home Monday afternoon.

The fire started outside the back of a home on the 2500 block of Apple Street in Hellertown, Pennsylvania shortly after 1 p.m.

After fire crews put out the flames, they found the body of 72-year-old Patrick McChesney on the grounds of the home.

The cause of death is still under investigation.

A man accused of firing his gun during a youth basketball game Saturday, sending spectators and players running and screaming, surrendered to police Monday afternoon.

Maurice Tavares, 26, turned himself in at the 18th District police headquarters at 55th and Pine streets around 4 p.m.

A coach for the Christy Recreation Basketball team told police Tavares was a coach for the opposing team.

During their game at the rec center on South 56th Street Saturday afternoon, as the Christy team was losing, but staging a comeback, Tavares allegedly got into an argument with a spectator.

As the arguing escalated, witnesses say Tavares told the spectator to "shut up."

When Christy's coach went over to see if he could calm things down, he says Tavares told him to get to the other side of the gym, started walking backward, pulled a gun out of his back waistband, fired it and fled.

"Everyone began screaming and running out of the gym," according to Public Information Officer Christine O'Brien. No one was hurt.

Tavares' lawyer Eugene Tenari spoke to NBC10 after his client turned himself in Monday.

"The law allows you, if you are under threat of serious bodily injury, to use force," he said.

Tenari admitted his client fired a shot inside the gym but also insisted he did it in self-defense because he feared for his life.

"The gun was not pointed at anybody," Tenari said. "The gun was not fired at anybody. I'm being told the shot was more in the air towards the ceiling."

Police told NBC10 however the only bullet hole they found was in a window just above the bleachers. They also said the evidence doesn't support self-defense.

"Our investigation hasn't led us there at this point," said Philadelphia Police Lieutenant John Walker. "As far as we know there was an argument. He pulls out a gun after the argument and fires one shot."

Tenari told NBC10 his client has a legal permit to carry the gun and that he was armed because he had previously been shot during another youth basketball game.

"He was shot in the leg at a basketball game as a coach earlier," Tenari said. "I don't have the exact date but within the past couple years."

Tavares, who lives in Chester, Delaware County, is a father of three and has no prior record. He now faces assault charges in connection to Saturday's incident.

A trash truck overturned near City Avenue Monday afternoon.

The crash caused crews to close the Ridge Avenue westbound ramp to City Avenue southbound.

No injuries have been reported. Crews continue to investigate the cause of the accident.
 

A small plane went off the runway at the Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown late Monday afternoon.

The incident occurred around 4:40 p.m. at the airport on 3099 Airport Road. The plane went onto the grass due to problems with the landing gear, according to officials.

No one was injured during.

It was the second incident in one day in which a small plane ran off the runway. A plane ran off the runway and into a fence at the Queen City Airport in Allentown shortly before 1 p.m. Monday.

Traffic was snarled on the New Jersey Turnpike Monday afternoon after a tractor trailer overturned on the northbound side of the highway in Mercer County.

The crash happened around 2:30 p.m. just south of Interchange 7A in Hamilton Township.

Four other cars were involved in the accident, which left debris strewn across the roadway.

The driver of the tractor-trailer suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash and was taken to the hospital.

The accident caused a major backup on the highway for several hours.

Several people were hurt after a pickup truck and car collided in Delaware County early Monday evening.

The accident occurred shortly before 8 p.m. on the 2100 block of Norton Avenue in Boothwyn. The crash caused the truck to land on top of the car.

Officials say five people were hurt in the crash though they have not yet revealed how serious those injuries are or the cause of the accident.

The I-95 southbound ramp to Chichester Avenue was closed but has since been reopened.
 

A man was arrested and charged with the murder of a woman who was found dead in a shallow grave in a yard in Philadelphia's Frankford section last month.

Jeffrey Bowen, 30, is accused of killing 39-year-old Kelly Hepft and then burying her body.

On March 24 at 11:36 a.m., 15th district police officers were flagged down by a man who reported a possible body in a rear yard on 4700 Frankford Avenue.

When the officers went to the yard they found a human foot buried in soil. The Philadelphia Crime Scene Unit responded and recovered Hepft's body, which investigators say was wrapped in plastic bags.

A man, who was standing near the grave when officers arrived, took off running when police questioned him, sources told NBC10. Police used a taser to subdue the man, according to witnesses and the man was taken into custody but not charged at that time.

Neighbors told NBC10 the man was Hepft's boyfriend.

The Medical Examiner determined Hepft died from multiple stab wounds to the head, neck and chest and her death was ruled a homicide.

On Monday police announced Bowen was charged with Hepft's murder as well as robbery, theft, abuse of corpse and other related offenses. Police have not yet confirmed however whether Bowen was the same man who was arrested immediately after Hepft's body was discovered.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

A woman who was abducted, bound, tortured and dumped in a Philly cemetery — twice — was home Monday recovering from the terrifying ordeal, according to her boss.

Detectives retraced her steps using surveillance video that shows the victim moments before she was taken, as well as the van used by her captors.

The video, released by an area store, shows the cargo van pulling into a parking garage at 733 Chestnut Street Saturday afternoon. The video then shows the 53-year-old worker, who had just left her job at National Watch & Diamond on Jewelers' Row, walking to her car at that same parking garage about two and a half hours later, moments before she was abducted by the three men.

The woman told police the men grabbed her, forced her into their van, zip-tied her wrists, shackled her ankles and covered her head with a hood. They wanted keys to the jewelry store and codes to the safe. Unable to provide either, the victim told police she was tortured and shocked with a Taser before the men dumped her — still bound — at Montlawn Cemetery at Hook Road near Lindbergh Boulevard in Delaware County.

Her captors returned a short time later. She told police they forced her back into the burgundy Ford Econoline van with white graffiti on the back and side. The men used the victim's money card to make four withdrawals before dumping her back at the cemetery, where she was able to eventually remove the hood, make her way to Hook Road and flag down a driver who called 911.

She was treated at Penn Presbyterian Hospital for bruises, contusions and a concussion, according to police.

Jewelers told NBC10's Matt DeLucia the woman is a longtime worker at National Watch & Diamond.

"She's the nicest soul I've ever known," said John Farber of Wallingford, Pennsylvania. "She's friendly. She's very knowledgeable about the jewelry and items that I bought and sold." 

National Watch & Diamond was closed Monday as detectives walked through the stores and then around the parking garage with the store's owner.

A 2-year-old Delaware boy is back home safe after he was found wandering alone in the streets as his family slept, according to police.

Brittney Jones, who works for a roofing company, told NBC10 she spotted the boy walking in the middle of Colony Drive Monday morning in Dover.

“I said, ‘buddy, where you going?’” Jones said. “I leaned down to him and pointed to both directions. He was holding our hands. He was talking to us. He walked right into the house without crying or hesitation.”

Jones and her co-worker knocked on neighbors’ doors to figure out where the child came from but no one knew. They then called Dover police.

Police officers then posted a photo of the child on the Department's Facebook page asking anyone who knew who he was to come forward. The boy’s parents then contacted police an hour after the Facebook post went up.

Investigators learned the child woke up as his family slept, got dressed, unlocked the door and then wandered the streets by himself. Fortunately the child was not hurt, thanks in large part to Jones and her co-worker.

“He could’ve been hit, somebody could’ve taken him,” Jones said. “I wanted to help. I’m out here and nobody else was.”

Police say they don’t plan on filing any charges.
 

A man is fighting for his life while another is in stable condition after a shooting in Plymouth Township.

Police say the two men were both shot Monday night but they’re unsure where or when the shooting took place. The two victims ultimately went to the Lukoil gas station at Ridge Pike and Chemical Road with gunshot wounds however.

They were both taken to the hospital. One victim is in extremely critical condition while the other is in stable condition.

No arrests have been made.

This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.
 

Police are searching for a dirt bike rider who they said struck a pedestrian and then fled the scene Monday night.

The victim was walking on C Street and Wyoming Avenue in the Feltonville section of the city when he or she was struck by a dirt bike rider. The rider then fled the scene on foot, according to investigators.

The pedestrian was taken to Temple University Hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Police continue to search for the dirt bike rider but have not yet released a description.
 

A man was shot and killed in the Germantown section of the city Monday night.

The victim, who police say was in his 20’s, was on East Ashmead Street around 8 p.m. when an unidentified gunman opened fire.

The man was struck twice in the chest. He was taken by police to Einstein Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 8:15 p.m.

No arrests have been made and police have not yet identified the victim.
 

A grieving mother had strong words for the gunman responsible for her son’s death.

“You’re a coward,” said Tracey Bright. “You need to be ashamed of yourself because you took away my son.”

Bright’s son, 18-year-old Tyimer Bright, of Camden, was shot and killed during a party Easter Sunday in Haddon Township, New Jersey.

Tyimer was at a party at the Rooftop Lounge on the 2800 block of Crescent Boulevard around 11:30 p.m. The event had been promoted heavily on social media, according to investigators.

Officials said it was cut short when someone threw a rock through the window of the building. As the partygoers left the bar and went into the parking lot, officials say at least one gunman suddenly opened fire. Residents who live in nearby homes told NBC10 they heard as many as ten shots.

“I was scared,” said one of the residents, a teen girl who did not want to be identified. “I literally felt like they were going to start coming into peoples’ houses. Literally hundreds of kids were running down the street, hiding behind peoples’ cars.”

Witnesses described the scene as total chaos.

“The shots just let off all over the place,” Bright said. “All the kids ran. There were kids running on the highway all over the place trying to get away and my son got hit.”

Tyimer was struck several times. He was taken to Cooper University Hospital where he was pronounced dead around 3:25 a.m. A 16-year-old girl suffered a graze wound in the shooting while a 17-year-old girl was struck once. The 16-year-old girl was released from the hospital while the 17-year-old is stable.

Police are currently reviewing surveillance video and investigating who hosted the party. An advertisement for the event on social media stated that “security would be tight.”

“At this point we don’t know whether there were multiple shooters or if there was one individual shooter,” said Camden County Homicide Sergeant Terry King. “It looks like based on what we’ve talked to a few witnesses about that there were no problems or altercations prior to the shooting.”

Bright is hoping that more witnesses will come forward with information.

“They’re scared,” Bright said. “They don’t want to get shot too for saying anything. But unfortunately that’s the only way police are going to find out who killed my son.”

Bright, whose older son Byron drowned a few years ago, is also hoping the gunman will come forward.

“You were bold enough to grab a gun and pull the trigger and kill my son,” she said. “So be a man, and be bold enough to turn yourself in and face these charges.”

If you have any information on the shooting, please call contact Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Michael Rhoads at (856) 225-8561, Haddon Township Police Detective Don Quinn at (856) 833-6208 or Camden County Police Detective Edward Gonzalez at (856) 757-7420.

You can also email information to ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org or send a text to CCTIP.

A father is in custody after police say he pointed a gun at a DHS worker who was trying to remove two of his seven children.

Investigators say the DHS workers went to a home on the 1800 block of 67th Avenue around 8:15 p.m. Monday to remove a 10-year-old and 12-year-old child who lived there due to parental neglect. When they arrived, the 49-year-old father of the children allegedly waved and pointed a handgun at one of the workers.

The worker called police and the father barricaded himself inside the home, according to investigators.

A barricade situation was declared and police and a SWAT team soon arrived. The officers were able to get four of the suspect's children out safely followed by the other three. The father remained barricaded inside however, police said.

Eventually officials sent a robot with a camera inside the home. The camera captured the man on the floor of the house, intoxicated, according to officials. A SWAT team then went in and removed him from the house.

NBC10 captured the suspect screaming as he was placed in a police van. All seven of his children are currently in protective custody.

Police in a New Jersey borough say a resident was attacked by a coyote while he was working in his yard Monday morning. 

The man, a Twin Brooks-area resident in Saddle River, was able to escape from the coyote and taken to the hospital for treatment, Saddle River police said. 

Police say they believe the same coyote attacked a neighbor's dog last week, and workers in the area reported seeing the coyote acting aggressively toward other dogs several times Monday.

Officers spotted the animal running through a neighbor's yard during the day, and called in animal control and officers from the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, police said. 

The responding officers found the coyote in the woods and euthanized it, police said. It was being taken to a state animal lab for testing and analysis.

The resident attacked by the coyote has returned home and is recovering, police said.

Anyone who sees wild animals acting aggressively should call police, authorities said.

Authorities have noted that it's become "quite common for coyotes to enter into urban and residential areas and in many cases make small wooded areas their home," according to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Last month, a family in Closter showed NBC 4 New York an old doghouse in their yard in which two roaming coyotes had taken up residence. 

People who encounter a coyote should never run away; instead, they're encouraged to "haze" the animal with techniques like making loud noises or throwing sticks or objects towards but not at the coyote, the Humane Society says.