Nick Cannon, Father of 12, appeared on The Diary of A CEO podcast where he opened up about how his ex-wife Mariah Carey went above and beyond to help him when he was diagnosed with lupus in 2012.
The "Wild N' Out creator and host" share fraternal twins (son-Moroccan and daughter- Monroe) in April of 2011. Cannon and Carey began dating in the early 2000s and eloped in April 2008 after six weeks of fairytale bliss. Unfortunately, their fairytale came to an end in 2006 where the pair decided to get a divorce, but it did not interfere with their deep-rooted friendship.
On Diary of a CEO podcast, the "Love Don't Cost a Thing star" told podcast host Steven Bartlett, "She was my rock." "She went hard," Cannon said. "To be honest, I probably wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for how hard she went with the doctors, with me, my stubbornness."
Cannon described Carey as "the perfect helpmate, the perfect matriarch, the perfect mom, the perfect wife in those scenarios." Praising the now 54-year-old superstar for handling "all of my stuff" while also juggling the duties of being a global sensation and a mother to their young twins. "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," he added. "But it definitely brought us closer together."
"Do you truly believe Carey saved your life?" asked Bartlett. Cannon undoubtedly answered, "I absolutely do".
"But that's what you do when you find a helpmate. When you find someone that you're in matrimony with, you go hard for [them]," he added. "I feel like I went hard for her, and we'll still go hard -- I lay down my life for her today. That's what you do, it's just family."
The 42-year-old star confessed how his battle with lupus caused him to struggle with his mental health, caused him to question what life was about and whether he had "wasted" his time on Earth until that point. "If I get another shot, what am I gonna do?" he remembered asking himself. He shared that moment because he values his time with his children much more reverently, wandering if he would be alive for his children and contemplating what his legacy would be when he was sick.
"Staring up from the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling all alone when everybody else is kicked out, and you gotta be face to face with your higher power, asking all those tough questions. Am I done? A lot of people don't do that because we get caught up in the constant race of just living day to day, but it slowed down for me on many occasions." recalled Cannon.
"I'm probably reminded of my physical mortality all the time," Cannon added. "And when you're not afraid of dying, you focus on living, you know? Anyone who's ever had a near-death experience or anyone who's been in those quiet places of dealing with thoughts of the afterlife and what this current life was for you, you live the rest of your days differently."
According to ET, Nick Cannon has always spoken highly of his ex-wife. In 2012 he referred to his marriage as a "fantasy love," said ET.
"I was talking about the fantasy of it all. I was like, 'Yo, if I could have that same vibe of where I was at that state in my life and that age, of course I would do that all over again,'" he explained. "But I'm not."
He added, "Clearly, there is a lot going on in my life now that's completely different from that."
As for whether the door is still open or "at least cracked" for him to get back together with Carey, Cannon quipped, "Mariah don't want me. I just show up will all my thousand kids, like, 'Hey, I'm back.'"
"We're still close friends, the best of friends, great parents together. I appreciate that time in my life," Cannon said, explaining where he stands with Carey currently. "Obviously we've all grown and evolved and went separate ways. But it was still like the biggest fantasy of my life."
Cannon has been in the media on numerous occasions due to the number of children and baby mothers he has, but he has always been forthright and accepting of the attention he has received. He shares children Carey, Rise, Powerful, and Golden, with Brittany Bell, as well as Beautiful, Zion and Zillion, with Abby De La Rosa. The youngest of his kids are Halo, with Alyssa Scott, along with Legendary, with Bre Tiesi, and Onyx, with Lanisha Cole. He also welcomed his late son, Zen, with Scott.
The superstar always express how he makes it his responsibility to be present for all of his children.