Tarek El Moussa On Having Two Cancers: ‘Thought I Was Gonna Die’

Tarek El Moussa is breaking his silence on what it was like getting diagnosed with two different types of cancer. The “Flip or Flop” star admitted that he actually thought he would meet his demise following the diagnoses, but his then-wife Christina El Moussa helped him make it through.

“No joke, I thought I was going to die,” Tarek exclusively told Us Weekly after being asked on what it was like to get diagnosed with cancer twice. Apparently, the listing agent was diagnosed with testicular cancer just a month after he found out he had thyroid cancer back in 2013.

Tarek’s thyroid diagnosis happened by chance when a nurse who followed his and his wife’s home improvement series noticed a lump on his neck. The nurse reportedly urged Tarek to go see a doctor, and he was then diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

Tarek admitted that he was shocked by the fact that he had to battle two cancers. However, he managed to conquer the diseases with the help of his ex Christina, who was a very supportive wife during the difficult time. “She helped me out a lot. She made sure I took all my meds and she had to make certain meals for me,” he said.

The two cancers didn’t even get in the way of his work at HGTV. Tarek filmed “Flip or Flop” with Christina even after he was diagnosed. In fact, he did not stop filming until the day that he finally had to undergo surgery. Then, he was back on track just a couple of weeks after the operation.

“I literally filmed ’til the day I went into my surgery,” the 36-year-old said. “Within two weeks after, I was back on camera. It was definitely difficult to do, but it definitely pushed my mental strength to the limits … I just kept moving forward.”

Tarek is cancer-free at present, but he still fears for his health knowing that cancer could recur in some cases. He shared that his doctor informed him that the recurrence rate of the cancers he had is at 30 percent, so that’s something that lingers in the back of his mind.

Tarek recently teamed up with Movember Foundation to spread awareness about men’s health issues, particularly prostate cancer, testicular cancer and suicidal tendencies. “Ultimately, the goal is to help raise awareness and help men to get checked, and realize that they need to get checked,” he told IBTimes last month.

Tarek and Christina announced their separation in December 2016. Despite the split, the two continued to star on their famous show. They also spend time together off-cam as co-parents to their kids: daughter Taylor, 7, and son Braden, 2, according to New York Daily News.