As she celebrates the 500th episode of her talk show, Rachael Ray is exhaling a sigh of relief – and learning to breathe.
After being diagnosed with a benign cyst on her vocal cords last year, Ray started working with a vocal coach who has helped her alleviate the stress on her larynx. "I have learned how to breathe, to use my cords differently," Ray, 40, tells PEOPLE. "I had been tilting my head in a way when I talked that wasn’t good for my throat. I’ve been working on all of that, and it seems to be helping."
Last year, the TV cooking star and talk show host planned to have surgery to remove the cyst. But days before surgery, Ray’s vocal coach and doctor gave her a reprieve from the procedure that would have rendered her silent for several days.
"It was decided that … through voice therapy, in six months my vocal cords would be as good as can be," says Ray. "Now I see my vocal coach twice a week, and it’s really helped a lot."

Rachael Ray