Nick Cannon is taking a moment to reflect on how Mariah Carey, his ex-wife, held it down and supported him when he was diagnosed with lupus. In fact, Nick says he “probably wouldn’t even be alive” if Mariah hadn’t gone so “hard” in the wake of his diagnosis.
RELATED:Â Always Be His Baby? Nick Cannon Talks Rekindling Romance With ‘Fantasy Love’ Mariah Carey
Nick Gives Mariah Carey Her Flowers For Goin’ “Hard” For Him
During a recent appearance on The Diary of a CEO, host Steven Bartlett asked Cannon to reflect on how his January 2012 lupus diagnosis impacted his then-marriage, as Mariah was “dealing with a Nick that’s contending with this new diagnosis and an uncertain future.”
In turn, Nick reflected and shared that Mariah was his “rock” while he battled the health condition, acknowledging that she “went hard.”
He even went as far as declaring that he “probably wouldn’t even be alive” if it weren’t for Mariah’s efforts.
“To be honest, [I] probably wouldn’t even be alive if it wasn’t for how hard she went — with the doctors, with me, my stubbornness.”
Continuing, Nick Cannon called the “Emotions” singer the “perfect helpmate, the perfect matriarch, the perfect mom, [and] the perfect wife in those scenarios.”
After all, Nick noted that she was actively navigating “all the pressures of Mariah Carey [while] being loving enough to take on all of [his] stuff.”
Nonetheless, Cannon admitted that the situation “probably took a toll” on the marriage. However, it simultaneously “brought [them] closer together.”
“It probably took a toll on us just because of the person I was in my head and the struggles that I was dealing with. So, it probably took a toll on our relationship, but it definitely brought us closer together.”
After sharing his Mariah-related reflections, Nick Cannon elaborated on the struggles he was grappling with, noting that his lupus diagnosis catapulted him into a state of existential inquiry.
“Was I gonna live? What was life all about? Had I wasted my time up until this point? And if I get another shot, what am I gonna do?”
Nick Cannon Previously Acknowledged Initially “Struggling” To Adapt To His New Lifestyle
According to the Lupus Foundation of America, the condition is a chronic disease where one’s immune system attacks healthy tissues, causing “inflammation and pain” throughout the body.
Nick Cannon shared his story with the foundation after his diagnosis, noting how it prompted him to adapt to a new lifestyle.
“It was explained to me that it was an autoimmune disease, and if I managed it properly and took the proper medicine, that it wasn’t life-threatening. I had to be extremely careful, get on the proper diet, get the proper rest, and take care of my body, and I’d be able to fight it.”
However, he acknowledged “constantly struggling with trying to have the same type of endurance and stamina” that he was used to having, though he eventually learned to manage the condition and got used to his new normal.
“I can live until [I’m] a very old man with this diagnosis as long as I take care of myself.”
