Putting his health first. Tom Arnold reflected on his dramatic 75-lb weight loss after suffering a mini-stroke and massive organ failure.
“It all started in January. I was giving the kids a bath and turned around to count to 10 when suddenly my vision in my right eye went black as if there was a curtain coming down over my eye,” the Roseanne alum, 63, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, July 14. “I had a mini-stroke. I checked into the hospital for the 24-hour stroke protocol. As a 63-year-old single father of a 9 and 6-year-old, it was scary. On top of all this, I had massive organ failure two years ago. My doctor changed my medication, but I knew I needed to make bigger changes because I really dropped the ball on self-care.”
Arnold explained that the fear of prematurely leaving his children led him to reach out to life coach Charles D’Angelo, 36, who has made a huge difference in his health and overall quality of life.
“He really stresses the importance of emotions and thinking about what you deserve,” the True Lies star gushed of his fitness instructor. “That was a huge game-changer for me.”
Arnold, who has gone from 285 lbs to 210 lbs, met D’Angelo when he emceed a charity event at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s house in 2018. The two hit it off after the Missouri native opened up about his own weight loss journey.
“Charles told me about his own personal story of losing 160 lbs and changing his life, and how he was on a mission to help others,” he explained of the duo’s instant connection. “He offered to help me when and if I wanted to make serious changes in my life, and he’s persistent in trying to help those he feels called to. Following my health scare this past winter, I finally decided to take him up on his offer and I’m so glad I did.”
While the Iowa native said he’d “like to lose a little more” weight, he’s still “happy” and feels “great” with his current results. “I’m in touch with my body. I used to only look at my face in the mirror. Now, I deal with it,” he revealed.
The Happy Endings actor, who shares daughter Quinn Sophie, 9, and son Jax Copeland, 6, with ex-wife Ashley Groussman, added that he’s even considering going out on a few dates — something he hasn’t done in five years.
“My friends would try to set me up with someone and I always avoided it. I realized I was avoiding it because I just didn’t feel great about me,” Arnold explained. “It’s a lot easier to let yourself go when the only people who see you with your shirt off are your kids. The thought of dating is a little scary for me, I’m a work in progress … but everybody deserves human contact, even me.”
While reigniting his love life may be in the cards, the TV personality is also focused on his career goals including filming a pilot with Schwarzenneger, 74, doing stand-up comedy and attending ComicCons, where he’s been “able to interact with people more and more.”
For those struggling with similar problems, Arnold insisted that anything is possible if you “challenge yourself” — something D’Angelo taught him well.
“If I can do this, anyone can,” he told Us. “I lost 75 lbs without starving myself and without missing workouts. Some days you don’t feel like doing it, and that’s OK. Get healthy and have others keep you accountable. It’s all possible.”
Reporting by Diana Cooper
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