Nick Cannon Praises Mariah Carey for Support During Lupus Diagnosis: ‘Probably Wouldn’t Be Alive'

Nick Cannon and Mariah Cary were married from 2008 to 2016

Nick Cannon is praising his ex-wife Mariah Carey.

Speaking on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, the talk show host, 42, opened up about how Carey, 54, helped him when he was diagnosed with lupus in 2012.

“She was my rock,” Cannon told podcast host Steven Bartlett. “She went hard. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for how hard she went with the doctors, with me, my stubbornness.”

He went on to say Carey “was the perfect helpmate, the perfect matriarch, the perfect mom, the perfect wife in those scenarios.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: Nick Cannon and Brittany Bell Celebrate Son Rise's First Birthday with a Disneyland Family Day: 'Pure Joy'

Cannon added that despite Carey dealing with the pressures of being a global superstar, she was still “loving enough to take on all of my stuff.”

“It probably took a toll on us just because of the person I was in my head and the struggles that I was dealing with,” Cannon admitted. “But it definitely brought us closer together.”

Opening up about the struggles he was dealing with at the time, the comedian said he questioned the meaning of life and whether he had “wasted" his time until that point. "If I get another shot what am I gonna’ do?” he said he asked himself.

Cannon also revealed he wondered if he would be alive for his children, and mentally reviewed what his legacy would be.

Related: Nick Cannon Watches as Abby De La Rosa Gets Their Three Kids' Names Tattooed: 'Energy Was Flowing'

Cannon shares twins Moroccan and Monroe Cannon, 12, with Carey, who he was married to from 2008 to 2016.

He’s also the father of sons Golden Sagon , Rise Messiah Cannon and daughter Powerful Queen with Brittany Bell; twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir and daughter Beautiful Zeppelin with Abby De La Rosa; son Legendary Love with Bre Tiesi; and daughter Onyx Ice Cole with LaNisha Cole. Cannon also shares daughter Halo Marie Cannon, who was born on Dec. 14, 2022 , with Alyssa Scott.

The couple's son Zen died when he was five months old in December 2021 after being diagnosed with brain cancer.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.