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Nick Cannon continues to applaud the type of wife Mariah Carey was to him before their 2016 split.
During an appearance on the Diary Of A CEO podcast, the Wild’ N Out host discussed how compassionate and thoughtful Carey was following his 2012 lupus diagnosis. The father of 12, who shares two children with Carey, said the “Fantasy” singer took care of everything he needed while simultaneously being the global sensation she is.
“She was my rock — she went hard. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for how hard she went with the doctors, [and] with me [and] my stubbornness,” Cannon reflected.
The TV host, 42, said Carey, 54, “was the perfect helpmate, the perfect matriarch, the perfect mom [and] the perfect wife in those scenarios.”
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“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. It probably took a toll on our relationship,” Cannon said of his early lupus battle. “But it definitely brought us closer together.”
When asked if he genuinely thought Carey saved his life, the Raw & B artist doubled down.
He said the Grammy winner “absolutely” contributed to him still being here today.
“But that’s what you do when you find a helpmate” and “someone that you’re in matrimony with,” said Cannon, who tied the knot with Carey in 2008. “I’d lay down my life for her today — it’s just, it’s what you do. It’s family.”
The TV host outlined that the mental struggles he faced following his diagnosis included those around his mortality, the point of life, whether he’s done enough, and whether he’ll be able to be there for his kids.
He and Carey share twins, Moroccan and Monroe, 12, who are Cannon’s eldest children. The Masked Singer host also has three children with Brittany Bell, three with Abby De La Rosa, a son with Bre Tiesi, a daughter with LaNisha Cole, and his youngest child, a daughter with Alyssa Scott.
The latter and Cannon welcomed a son, Zen Cannon, in June 2021. The parents shared in December of that year that the baby boy tragically passed away from a rare form of brain cancer.
Reflecting on Zen’s passing, Cannon said, “When you go through it, you kind of have to just create this fog that protects you.”
“They do say time heals all wounds.. It’s just something you’ll never completely heal from, but you live and you learn how to operate… Grieving is forever, there’s not a time period.”
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