Tarek El Moussa says medical issues contributed to his divorce

Tarek El Moussa opened up about his past health issues on The Dr. Drew Podcast. (NOEL VASQUEZ/GETTY IMAGES)

A bevy of serious health problems left Tarek El Moussa feeling depressed and ultimately contributed to the collapse of his marriage, the HGTV star says in a new podcast.

After going through testicular cancer, thyroid cancer and back surgery, El Moussa says he visited an anti-aging clinic in hopes of figuring out what was causing him to feel tired. But when officials at the clinic treated him by boosting his testosterone levels, his condition only grew worse, El Moussa recalled on “The Dr. Drew Podcast.”

“I went to this botox doctor and hormone clinic that my ex said to go check out,” El Moussa said. “Next thing I know I’m shoving a needle on my a-- and taking steroids. It was testosterone.”

El Moussa says he later learned his testosterone levels were already normal when he first went to the clinic. The treatment he received left his testosterone levels more than double the normal amount.

But that wasn’t the only medical issue he had to deal with.

“I got back surgery I went from 230 lbs. to 168 lbs,” El Moussa told Dr. Drew. “So I had the cancer and then I got the second cancer. And then four months after, I recovered from the second cancer, I hurt my back. Then I lost 60 lbs., I was on like 10 Vicodin every day, and on top of that my meds are off, my hormones are off, I’m on pain meds and narcotics and I’m filming and I’m working. It was a really rough three, four years.”

Tarek El Moussa and his ex Christina El Moussa separated in 2016. (RICHARD SHOTWELL/INVISION/AP)

El Moussa, who separated from his wife and “Flip or Flop” co-star Christina El Moussa in 2016, says none of his doctors were communicating with each other, and he suffered from side effects such as anxiety, heart palpitations and panic attacks.

“I would find myself just sitting alone and just being depressed,” El Moussa said. “It’s because of all the s--t that was being pumped into my body just turned me into someone that wasn’t me.”

El Moussa, 36, says he decided to examine his life after his separation from his wife, and while he didn’t blame the divorce entirely on his medical problems, he believes they were part of it.

“It took losing everything I had to figure out what was wrong,” El Moussa said. “I did lose everything. I not only lost my wife and my marriage and (the health issues are) not the only reason, but it is a big contributing factor.”

He says he’s doing much better now and wants to help people by sharing his story about the dangers of being over-medicated.

El Moussa and his wife, who have two kids together, announced their separation in December 2016, seven months after an incident where cops were called to their home because of a report of a man with a gun on their property.

El Moussa later confirmed he was the man with the weapon, but said he was only carrying it to protect himself from animals as he went for a walk.

He now says he made it his mission to “be the best person I can be” after separating from his wife.

“I can say standing here today I’m the best version of myself I ever thought I could be,” he told Dr. Drew.

- ny news