'Biggest Loser' trainer Bob Harper on heart attack: 'I was on that ground dead'

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DETROIT – "The Biggest Loser" trainer Bob Harper described his near-fatal heart attack earlier this year.

"I was in full cardiac arrest,'' Harper told Savannah Guthrie in an exclusive interview on TODAY Tuesday. "My heart stopped. Not to be dramatic, but I was dead. I was on that ground dead."

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Harper had the heart attack on Feb. 12 after a regular workout with friends.

"I had what they call a 'widow-maker,''' he said. "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."

One of Harper's coaches located doctors in the gym who were able to perform CPR and administer a defibrillator, which likely saved his life.

"It was super scary for me because I woke up and I was so confused,'' he said. "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."


About the Author
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Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.

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