What Tarek El Moussa Learned From 2 Cancers and ‘Staring Death in the Face’
Tarek El Moussa has overcome two different types of cancer, and he recently shared what he learned from “staring death in the face.” and were married for nearly a decade before their very public divorce. Here’s what the HGTV star said about his life-changing health scares.
Tarek El Moussa discovered he had cancer thanks to a ‘Flip or Flop’ fan
In 2013, Tarek El Moussa and his then-wife Christina Hall launched the HGTV show Flip or Flop. The reality renovation series ran successfully for 10 seasons.
The show changed El Moussa’s life in many ways, including helping him discover that he had cancer. A Flip or Flop fan noticed a lump on El Moussa’s throat and contacted producers, urging him to get his thyroid checked. The reality star was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and, two months later, testicular cancer.
El Moussa told Coping that he had a “bad feeling” when he received that fan email. “For two years, I had been experiencing tightness in my neck, and I was constantly clearing my throat,” he said (via Best Life). “I had gone to my doctor twice and was told it was nothing, just allergies. After I read her email, I went to the doctor – a new doctor – the next day and insisted on further testing.”
The HGTV star shared his thyroid cancer diagnosis right away, but it took him a little longer to open up about his testicular cancer. “Testicular cancer is more of a private thing,” he explained to People. Over time, he became more comfortable speaking about the illness, and urged others to perform self-checks and get regular exams. “With testicular cancer, literally a three to five second self-check in the shower can save your life,” El Moussa said.
Tarek El Moussa shared what he learned from 2 cancers and ‘staring death in the face’
In a December interview with Pallazzo Magazine, Tarek El Moussa got candid about what he learned from his experiences with cancer.
“I was facing two different cancers and when you’re staring death in the face, it makes you question who you are, where you’re from and where you’re going,” said the HGTV star. “For me, it was definitely life-changing and has really helped me to see things from a different perspective and not sweat the small stuff.”
He added, “It’s made me even more grateful for the life I live and the opportunities I have and I’ve come to realize that time is limited and it’s very important to capitalize on every moment we have on this planet.”
The HGTV star is in the ‘best health’ of his life
After overcoming two types of cancer and two serious back injuries, Tarek El Moussa says he is in the “best health” of his life.
He said he really “cleaned up” after meeting his second wife, Selling Sunset star Heather Rae Young. “I’ve cleaned up my entire life, to be honest,” El Moussa told Today in October 2021. “Before I met Heather, I had high blood pressure, high heart rate, I had high cholesterol and just a whole bunch of problems. I just decided to really work on my health and I focused on hot yoga… as well as cleaning up my diet. Now my blood work is completely different.”
The HGTV star added, “It’s amazing what just a little work can do to the body. It just shows you that you can come back from anything. A couple years ago, I was 60 pounds overweight, fighting two cancers, and you know, today I’m healthy.”
El Moussa said he has never felt better. “At 40 years old, I am in the best, best health of my life,” he shared. “I’ve never felt this good.”
