Arts & Entertainment

‘Biggest Loser’ host Bob Harper opens up about ‘widowmaker’ heart attack

the trainer says ‘I was dead’ following the medical emergency

Published

8 years ago

April 4, 2017

Mariah Cooper

(Screenshot via ‘Today.’)

Bob Harper got candid about the massive heart attack he suffered while working out at a New York City gym in February in an interview with the “Today” show on Tuesday.

“I was in full cardiac arrest. I was, I mean, not to be dramatic, I was dead,” Harper, 51, told host Savannah Guthrie. “I was on that ground, dead.”

“I had what they call a ‘widow-maker,”’ Harper, who came out as gay in 2013, continued. “It was a 6% survival rate, and the fact that there were doctors in the gym when I had the heart attack saved my life.”

Two doctors who happened to be at the gym at the same time were able to revive him with CPR. He was then transferred to a hospital where he was in a coma for two days and hospitalized for a week.

“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,” Harper says. “I was like, wait, why am I here? What happened to me? And 10 minutes later I was asking the same thing and just getting super emotional.”

While Harper has recovered he now works out under medical supervision. He also stressed how genetics play a part in heart attack risk and the importance of monitoring one’s health.

“You really face your mortality,” Harper says. “And I’m really understanding what’s important, and what’s really important in life. And let me tell you I am not sweating the small things anymore. And I am not sweating the big things anymore. I care about my friends. I care about my family. I care about my dog. I am going to appreciate every single day that I’m here.”

Harper served as a trainer on “The Biggest Loser” before taking over as host from Alison Sweeney in 2015. He has also appeared as an advisor on “The New Celebrity Apprentice.”

Up Next

Kylie Minogue refused to cut gay kissing in ‘All the Lovers’ video

Don't Miss

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ alum Gia Gunn comes out as transgender

FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

Calendar

Calendar: March 21-27

LGBTQ events in the days to come

Published

3 hours ago

March 21, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

Friday, March 21

“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Social in the City” at 7 p.m. at Hotel Zena. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Saturday, March 22

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 11 a.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-led support group devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black lesbian. You do not need to be a member of the Beta Kappa Chapter or the Beta Phi Omega Sorority in order to join, but they do ask that you either identify as a lesbian or are questioning that aspect of your identity. For more details, email [email protected].

Sunday, March 23

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Coffee and Conversation” at 1:30 p.m. at As You Are. This event is for someone looking to make more friends and meaningful connections in the LGBTQ community. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Monday, March 24

“Center Aging Monday Coffee & Conversation” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].

Queer Book Club will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This month’s read is “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. For more information, email [email protected].

Tuesday, March 25

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This support group is for people who identify outside of the gender binary – whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more details, visit genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.

Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-facilitated discussion group and a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so. For more details, visit the group’s Facebook.

Wednesday, March 26

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

LGBTQ Senior Spring Fling Dinner and Dance will be at 6 p.m. at the True Reformer Building. Join Capitol Hill Village, DACL, The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center, Iona, and Seabury for its first-ever event of this kind, where there’ll be a DJ, special party favors, and lots of good food. To RSVP, visit the DC Center’s website.

Thursday, March 27

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.

Virtual Yoga with Sarah M. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breath work, and meditation. For more details, visit the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s website.

Photos

PHOTOS: Ziegfeld’s/Secrets Reunion Party

Crush event celebrates legendary venue

Published

2 days ago

March 19, 2025

Michael Key

Ella Fitzgerald performs at the Ziegfeld's/Secrets Reunion Party at Crush Dance Bar on Saturday, March 15. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

A Ziegfeld’s/Secrets Reunion Party was held on Saturday, March 15 at Crush Dance Bar. The event celebrated and remembered the legendary local LGBTQ venue Ziegfeld’s/Secrets, closed in 2020. Performers at the reunion party drag show included Ella Fitzgerald, Destiny B. Childs, Tatiyanna Voche and Kristal Smith.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)