NeNe Leakes’ husband Gregg Leakes was previously diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer
Gregg Leakes’ cancer has returned, his wife NeNe Leakes revealed on Monday.
The 66-year-old reality star – who was previously diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer – is back in the hospital, recovering after undergoing surgery.
“He’s been in the hospital for a week, tomorrow,” the Real Housewives of Atlanta alum, 53, told The Jasmine Brand during an Instagram Live when asked for an update on Gregg. “I’m sure he’ll be home in about a week or so. He had to have surgery.”
She went on to tell the outlet that this is the first time she’s disclosed the information of Gregg’s condition.
“It’s difficult,” she said, adding that Gregg was “different.”
“He’s super small,” she said. “If you’ve ever been around somebody who’s had cancer before, he’s different. He’s different.”
NeNe first went public about Gregg’s cancer diagnosis in June 2018.
“The fight begins,” she said back then, captioning an emotional Instagram post of Gregg in a doctor’s office.
Fans witnessed the effect Gregg’s cancer treatment took on him physically – as well as on their marriage – throughout RHOA’s 11th season.
“It’s very, very hard to be a caretaker,” she previously told PEOPLE. “People call and they say, ‘How’s Gregg doing?’ and I want to throw the phone and say, ‘How the f- am I doing? I’m going crazy over here, Gregg is wearing me out!’ I am not good at this s-! I would rather hire somebody. Gregg doesn’t want me to hire somebody, but I’m just not good. I’m not good at fluffing the pillow; I’m good at buying the pillow.”
During a reunion special in April 2019, NeNe admitted that she was considering a second divorce from Gregg due to his attitude towards her while going through chemotherapy.
The couple – who wed in 1997, divorced in 2011, only to remarry in June 2013 – were able to patch things up.
Gregg later publicly apologized to NeNe, writing on Instagram, “We always hurt the ones we love… because they allow us to hurt them rather than snap back.”
“I’m tired of hurting my wife who is only trying to take good care of me and wants only the best for me too. She deserves much more for her hard efforts and tireless hours spent on me,” he said. “I pray to God to get it together… she’s done NO wrong… this is ALL on me.”
“Cancer will change your life,” he said.
Since then, the two have appeared to remain strong, Gregg standing by NeNe’s side amid her exit from RHOA last September.
As for Gregg’s health, NeNe’s last update to fans about her husband’s diagnosis was in May 2019 when she proudly declared that he was cancer-free after completing chemotherapy.
“We are overjoyed to say, we saw the doctors for the results of Gregg’s PET Scan he took last week! Test show, wait for It…..WE ARE CANCER-FREE!!! Yes God!” she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of her husband smiling.