The Biggest Loser’s Bob Harper claims Jillian Michaels didn’t reach out after he suffered a heart attack.
The fitness trainer, 59, was hospitalized in February 2017 when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest following a gym workout. In an interview with The Guardian published on Thursday, August 14, Harper said that many people from The Biggest Loser got in touch, but not his longtime costar.
Harper was a coach on the hit show for 16 seasons before transitioning to the role of host for seasons 17 and 18. Michaels was also a trainer for 12 out of 18 seasons during the show’s run.
“We weren’t besties, but we were partners on a television show for a very long time,” Harper said, explaining that it “spoke volumes to me” that Michaels didn’t reach out to him.
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“I would not expect Jillian Michaels to do anything other than what she wants to do,” he added.
Us Weekly has reached out to Michaels’ representatives for comment.
Harper previously opened up about his health scare during an April 2017 appearance on Today. He said he was fortunate that there were doctors working out at the gym where he experienced the heart attack.
“I was in full cardiac arrest. My heart stopped. Not to be dramatic, but I was dead. I was on that ground dead,” Harper told cohost Savannah Guthrie. “I had what they call a ‘widow-maker.’ It was a 6 percent survival rate, and the fact that there were doctors in the gym when I had the heart attack saved my life.”
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After paramedics arrived, Harper was rushed to the hospital, where he recalled waking up “confused.”
“I was like Dory from Finding Nemo because I had this short-term memory, so I was reliving the heart attack over and over again. I was like, ‘Wait, why am I here? What happened to me?’ And 10 minutes later I was asking the same thing and getting super emotional,” he said. “It was hugely shocking for me. I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve learned a lot about the fact that genetics played a part in this. It is so important to know your health.”
Three years after his heart attack, Harper spoke to Us about how he talked to his heart to help him with his recovery.
“I had a doctor once, right after my heart attack when I was going through so much emotional s***, who wanted me to talk to my heart,” he told Us in January 2020. “I was like, ‘Why’d you give up on me?’ That’s what I said. Imagine if you’ve ever been dumped and he broke the f*** out of your heart and you’re taking him back. You have to build a relationship with him, to trust him again. It’s the exact same thing. I had to start building a relationship, to trust it to go into a gym.”
