Former The Biggest Loser trainer and host Bob Harper has revealed that his longtime co-star Jillian Michaels did not contact him following his near-fatal heart attack in 2017, a gesture or lack thereof that left him surprised.
Speaking to The Guardian in an interview published Thursday, August 14, the 59-year-old fitness expert reflected on the aftermath of his health crisis, which occurred while he was working out at a gym more than seven years ago. Harper said he heard from many colleagues and friends from The Biggest Loser but not Michaels, who served alongside him as one of the show’s most well-known trainers for over a decade.
“We weren’t besties, but we were partners on a television show for a very long time,” Harper said. “It spoke volumes to me” that Michaels didn’t reach out.
“I would not expect Jillian Michaels to do anything other than what she wants to do,” he added.
A Shocking Medical Emergency
Harper’s health scare happened in February 2017, when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest during a workout. In a candid April 2017 interview on NBC’s Today, Harper recounted how close he came to death.
“I was in full cardiac arrest. My heart stopped. Not to be dramatic, but I was dead,” he told co-host 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.”
After collapsing, Harper was revived on-site before paramedics transported him to a nearby hospital. He later described waking up in a state of confusion and suffering from severe short-term memory loss.
“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,” he explained. “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.”
The Role of Genetics and Recovery
In the years since his heart attack, Harper has openly discussed the genetic factors that contributed to his condition, emphasizing the importance of knowing one’s family medical history.
“It was hugely shocking for me,” he said in 2017. “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.”
Harper, who served as a trainer on The Biggest Loser for 16 seasons before hosting its final two, also revealed that his recovery involved more than just physical healing. In a January 2020 conversation with Us Weekly, he shared how therapy and an unusual exercise suggested by a doctor helped him rebuild trust in his body.
“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,” Harper recalled. “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.”
A Professional Relationship with Gaps
While Harper and Michaels often appeared as a united front on-screen, their off-screen relationship was seemingly limited to professional interactions. Both became synonymous with The Biggest Loser brand, shaping the show’s competitive fitness culture and motivating contestants through grueling workouts. Harper’s comments suggest, however, that despite years of shared screen time, the two were never especially close a fact made more apparent by Michaels’ silence during one of the most vulnerable moments of his life.
For Bob Harper the experience has not only reshaped his health habits but also influenced his view of personal connections in a high-profile career. And while the fitness star appears to have moved forward, his latest remarks make it clear that the absence of outreach from his former colleague left a lasting impression.