When did Bob Harper have a heart attack? Reality star claims Jillian Michaels didn't reach out after the incident

Bob Harper, a former trainer and then host of The Biggest Loser, is remembering one of his most terrifying experiences and the notable lack of support he claims came from one of his most well-known co-stars.

Harper revealed in a forthright interview with The Guardian published Thursday, August 14, 2025, that he was hospitalized in February 2017 after slipping into complete cardiac arrest while working out at the gym. The fitness teacher, now 59, claimed numerous individuals from the successful NBC weight-loss competition contacted him, but Jillian Michaels, who co-hosted the program for nearly a decade, was not among them. Bob Harper recalled:

“We weren’t besties, but we were partners on a television show for a very long time.”

Harper added that Michael's lack of contact “spoke volumes to me." He added more:

“I would not expect Jillian Michaels to do anything other than what she wants to do.”

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The day Bob Harper's heart stopped

Bob Harper collapsed in the middle of a workout at a New York City gym due to a "widowmaker"- a severe blockage of the left anterior descending artery with a survival probability of only 6%, according to experts. Bob Harper recalled that day in April 2017 in an appearance on Today:

“I was in full cardiac arrest. My heart stopped. Not to be dramatic, but I was dead. I was on that ground dead. 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.”

He said that when he was awake, he was "confused" as he was shifted to the hospital by the paramedics:

“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."

Harper added:

"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.”

Bob Harper was left not only physically crippled but also mentally devastated. He was used to keeping up with much younger sportsmen, but now he is having trouble walking around the block. He spoke about the incident three years later to US Weekly in January 2020. He said:

“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. 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."

He added:

"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.”

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Harper and Michaels' strained relationship

Bob Harper and Michaels were The Biggest Loser's initial celebrity trainers, appearing together for most of the show's 18 seasons. Harper was with the show from 2004 to 2016 and hosted the one-season 2020 relaunch, while Michaels worked as a trainer for 12 seasons between 2004 and 2015.

Despite their years of working together, Harper claimed in various interviews, including a 2020 talk with US Weekly, that the two had not communicated since Michaels departed the program in 2013.

Micheals did speak out about Harper's 2017 cardiac attack, telling E! Daily Pop that his family history played a significant part and criticizing his CrossFit training and Paleo diet. She said:

“What do I really think? Knowing a little bit about Bob, I know that he does have a family history of it. I was there when he lost his mother to a heart attack, with him the night that she died. So there is a family history. I do also think that, you know, you’re in the middle of a CrossFit workout and you’re eating Paleo, it’s not going to help. Personally, I’m not pro-Paleo. Everyone can just go crazy on me.”

She added:

“From what I remember of Bob, he’s looking at it, and he’s like, ‘Well I can [do it]!’ He’s not thinking about it that way. He, personally, is like, ‘I love this challenge.'”

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Bob Harper says that he is in his "retirement era," teaching hot yoga in New York City, and is focusing on his health. He recently broke off his engagement to Anton Gutierrez in 2019 and is staying positive.

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