Romain Bonnet says he may not be alive if it weren’t for Tarek El Moussa. In an interview with PEOPLE, the Selling Sunset star revealed he and his wife had dinner in December 2023 before attending a hockey game alongside a few other friends. Bonnet recalled barely eating all day because of his busy schedule, and couldn’t contain himself when his steak dinner arrived. But he began choking. “I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t say anything,” he said of the moment he realized he was choking on his food. “The first thought I had was to grab some water and try to drink it.” But it didn’t help. The water made it worse, causing a blockage in his airway. “It was at that point that I couldn’t breathe,” he remembered. While El Moussa was getting up to grab another drink, he noticed something was off with Bonnet.
“He said, ‘You okay?’ and I just shake my head. I’m like, ‘No,’” Bonnet said, adding his friend “understood right away” what was happening and started doing the Heimlich maneuver on him. ย
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Ironically, El Moussa is still recovering from an arm injury, but he refused to give up on helping Bonnet. He continued performing the Heimlich on Bonnet until the food became dislodged and he was able to breathe again. Bonnet was quickly assisted by medical staff on the scene as well.ย
Bonnet says El Moussa’s quick thinking and action saved him. “That was really scary. I’m glad my friend was there for me,” Bonnet said.ย
El Moussa shared his life’s journey in a new memoir, Flip Your Life, which was released on Feb. 6. He currently appears on Netflix’s Selling Sunset alongside his new love, Heather Rae Young. He was previously married to Christina Hall, who he worked with on Flip or Flop on HGTV.
