Tarek El Moussa Opens up About Battle With Cancer

Now that he's cancer-free, Tarek El Moussa is using his platform to inspire others. The Flip or Flop star has been open about his battle with testicular and thyroid cancer in the past, but he still reminds fans of his journey so that he can help those who are going through a similar battle to see that it is possible to beat the disease.

On Tuesday, Sept. 19, the reality star dad took to Instagram to share a throwback photo of himself in the midst of his battle. In the lengthy caption, he wrote, "NOT embarrassed to share!!! This was one of the absolute lowest points of my life!! After beating cancer twice I had a horrific back injury. Over the course of 10 months, I lost 50 pounds from all the pain meds which prevented me from wanting to eat and I was nauseous all the time. I remember those days…in this photo, I'm pale white….eyes are black…. and I was 169 pounds!! My clothing didn't fit and it looks like I'm wearing drapes! This photo is a reminder that anything is possible with hope. While I went through this it was the first time in my life I wanted to quit! Thank god I didn't…or I wouldn't be standing tall today!! Reminder everyone, anything is possible! You just have to believe!"

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NOT embarrassed to share!!! This was one of the absolute lowest points of my life!! After beating cancer twice I had a horrific back injury. Over the course of 10 months I lost 50 pounds from all the pain meds which prevented me from wanting to eat and I was nauseous all the time. I remember those days…in this photo I'm pale white….eyes are black…. and I was 169 pounds!! My clothing didn't fit and it looks like I'm wearing drapes! This photo is a reminder than anything is possible with hope. While I went through this it was the first time in my life I wanted to quit! Thank god I didn't…or I wouldn't be standing tall today!! Reminder everyone, anything is possible! You just have to believe! T

A post shared by Tarek El Moussa (@therealtarekelmoussa) on Sep 19, 2017 at 1:56pm PDT

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Recently, the 36-year-old revealed that his back surgery was one of the reasons he split from his wife and Flip or Flop co-star, Christina El Moussa. In July, Tarek shared what he thought went wrong during an appearance on The Doctors. "I feel like if we had better communication, we would have had a better relationship. I think as time went on, you get busier and busier. It was like overnight: businesses, TV, all these things happened overnight, then the cancer and the back surgery. It just kind of started pushing us apart from each other," he explained.

Yet despite being in the midst of a divorce, the father-of-two seems to be in a better place — quite literally. The newly-single star is enjoying his bachelor life in a lavish (and pricey) waterfront home in Newport Beach, CA. Not too shabby!

Scroll through the gallery below to find out more facts about Tarek!

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A Fan Once Helped Diagnose Tarek With Cancer

A registered nurse named Ryan Read was binge watching Flip or Flop when she noticed something odd about a lump on Tarek’s throat — and was suspicious it could be cancer (especially since it was paired with a cough).

Tarek took to the observation to heart and visited a doctor — who informed him it was cancer. He underwent surgery and treatment and now — fortunately — is cancer-free!

The Couple Was Seriously Hit by the Recession

Things weren’t always so easy for the El Moussas — and their business was seriously impacted by the recession and housing crisis of 2008.

“The beginning of our relationship was very tough and she rode the wave with me, never complaining about our situation. She was always by my side. She was filled with love even though we were struggling financially. We did not know how to pay our bills,” Tarek once gushed of his estranged wife. “I will never never forget when we had Taylor and she never bought maternity clothes because we couldn’t afford them. I will never forget going to Subway to split $5 Footlongs because that is all we could afford. I love her more and more every day.”

They Never Intended to be Reality Stars

In 2014 interview, Tarek explained how they landed their gig at HGTV.

“Being on TV is the last thing we ever imagine doing in our lives,” he said. ‘I always tried new ways to grow our business and one night, I said, ‘Honey, I am going to get us a TV show,’ kind of as a joke. She laughed and told me to go to bed. I looked online and randomly found a casting and here we are three-and-a-half years later. It was the biggest long shot in history but it somehow worked out.”