It’s been a little over two years since the Former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Nene Leakes lost her beloved husband Gregg to cancer. She’s now opening up about the final days she shared with her late husband, Gregg Leakes.
In a new, nearly 15-minute-long video titled “I’m Lost Without You” posted to YouTube on Monday, the RHOA alum shared how “her life changed” on Sep. 1st, 2021, the day her husband died. For context, Gregg had been battling colon cancer since 2018. Though he was in remission for two years, the cancer aggressively returned in 2021.
She went on to share how her husband was ‘very confused, he wasn’t aware anymore” and was struggling to breath. After being assessed by his nurse, Nene gave the OK to administer a small amount of morphine to him to help him relax—though Gregg previously stated he preferred not to receive it as he wanted to “go naturally.” It wasn’t long after that he fell asleep and never woke up again.
Prior to his passing, their family and close friends had been on a rotating visiting schedule with him to talk and keep him company. In the moments leading up to his passing, Nene said that they all gathered in the foyer of their home to pray. Afterwards, when she was informed that he had transitioned, Nene called for the arrangements she set up prior to come get his body and hold him in a private location before the blogs and news sites could find out.
“Gregg, we miss you so much. I love you so much,” she tearfully said later in the video. “You said to me before we passed, ‘it’s gonna be hard. It’s gonna be hard baby, but you can do this.’ And I want you to know that it is hard, but I am doing it. I am doing it, but it is hard. You told me ‘you’ll find another love one day.’ But I don’t want to find another love, oh my God. It’s not that way, I love you Gregg. I love you, I miss you.”
Gregg died “peacefully” in his home while surrounded by his family.
Gregg, who was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer in 2018, had been in remission for two years. In June, NeNe revealed he was hospitalized and recovering from surgery following the return of his cancer.
“It’s difficult,” she said during an Instagram Live at the time. “He’s super small. If you’ve ever been around somebody who’s had cancer before, he’s different. He’s different.”
The couple, who got married initially in 1997, divorced in 2011 before remarrying in June 2013. They share one son together, Brentt Leakes, whos is now 22.
Following Gregg’s colon cancer diagnosis, fans witnessed the toll the illness took on their marriage during the 11th season of Real Housewives of Atlanta. At one point, NeNe even admitted she was considering a second divorce because of his attitude toward her while going through chemotherapy.
“It’s been a big transition for Gregg and I and our entire family,” she told PEOPLE in November 2018. “To learn that Gregg has cancer? Our lives just changed that day. Our whole routine changed. Just … everything changed. I don’t have cancer. Gregg has cancer. But I feel like our whole house has cancer.”
“He’s a changed person, his attitude changed,” she continued. “I feel like that day I lost my husband. Our whole dynamic changed. Sometimes I forget that he’s sick and I need to remind myself because he’s so on edge. He’s not nice, but he can’t help it.”
According to the American Cancer Society, it is often the spouse or partner of a patient with cancer that is affected most significantly of all the family members. Both the patient and their spouse may experience strong emotions about the condition, such as sadness, anxiety, or anger, which can affect the relationship.
Cancer treatment may also shift