Real Housewives of Atlanta Star, NeNe Leakes is known for voicing her opinion, telling it like it is and being funny and just being herself. In true NeNe fashion she’s transparent about the things that she likes and doesn’t like and what’s going on in her life. This time, she touches on a subject that’s close to her heart.
Recently, the married RHOA star revealed that her husband Gregg was diagnosed with cancer.
“Our New Normal and the fight begins
,” Leakes posted on Instagram with a photo of Gregg sitting in front of a computer screen that read “Cancer” with a red line through it on
NeNe announced in May that she was canceling her upcoming comedy shows because Gregg, 63, had been in the hospital for more than two weeks.
NeNe and Gregg tied the knot in 1997 and separated in 2010. Their divorce was finalized in 2011, but the duo later reconciled and remarried in 2013. Their second wedding was featured on a RHOA spinoff titled I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding.
“First of all, I just want to say that I feel very blessed and extremely lucky to be able to do what I do. I’m so grateful that you guys purchased tickets to see me everywhere,” she said in an Instagram video on May 22. “I have to cancel my Albany, New York, show and my New York City Caroline’s show. Today marks the 15th day straight that Gregg has been in the hospital.”
“I find it very difficult to stand on stage and laugh and have a good time and give you guys your money’s worth knowing that my husband is in the hospital not feeling well. He has said to me over and over again, ‘Go on, go out there, have a good time, do the show, I’m going to be fine.’ But I find it mentally very hard for me to do that,” NeNe continued. “Gregg will be out of the hospital this week. He will be stronger, he will be better and we will be out here doing this show again in no time. Thank you for loving me! Thank you so much.”
Gregg’s health issues were also documented on a November 2017 episode of RHOA when he was hospitalization for a “dangerously low” heart rate.
While we don’t know what kind of cancer Gregg has, we do know that African Americans have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial and ethnic group in the US for most cancers. A continuous reduction in cancer death rates in blacks since the early 1990s has resulted in more than 300,000 cancer deaths averted over the past two…
decades. Death rates have dropped faster during the most recent time period in blacks than in whites for all cancers combined and for lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer (in women only). As a result, racial disparities for these cancers have narrowed. In contrast, the racial disparity has widened for breast cancer in women and remained constant for colorectal cancer in men, likely due to inequalities in access to care, including screening and treatment.
“I heard his voice on the phone and I knew that he was afraid,” the Glee alum said during the episode. “Oh my God, what if Gregg doesn’t come home? What will they find? Is this something that Gregg’s not telling me? I can’t even imagine Gregg not walking on this earth. I can’t do this. Gregg has to get better.”
“We have been so overwhelmed with the outpouring of love, support, thoughtfulness and prayers,” NeNe said. “Some of you have educated us on cleanses, diets and holistic health care. We wouldn’t know some of these things if it wasn’t for the reach we have been blessed to have. So far, Gregg is doing great! He feels good with the exception of not being able to eat a lot. The cancer was removed!”
She also took a moment to give her former co-stars, including Kim, a sweet shout-out.
“Thank you so much to the ladies I work with and have worked with in the past for sending gifts, love and just good ole words of encouragement,” she wrote, tagging friends Cynthia Bailey, Phaedra Parks and Kenya Moore, among others.
“And yes, Kim Zolciak,” she added. “We hope you all know that this really means a lot.”