Tragic Details About HGTV Star Galey Alix

HGTV host Galey Alix has garnered tons of fans thanks to her seriously impressive interior design work. Social media posts chronicling a personal renovation for herself and her former fiancé turned into a booming business, eventually leading to Alix landing her hit show, "Home in a Heartbeat." However, the journey that resulted in Alix working with HGTV was tough. In a June 2023 People interview, Alix spoke about how she and her fiancé were long distance for a while with Alix commuting from Florida to Connecticut every weekend to fix up their house as she gradually taught herself design. At the time, the future HGTV star also worked at Goldman Sachs full time during the week and she was planning their wedding simultaneously too, so a lot was happening.

"I've long struggled with a very severe eating disorder, both anorexia and bulimia," she admitted. "And I also battle perfectionism, which is its own disease — kind of autonomous from the eating disorder, though I do think they often hold hands. So during this time, I was running myself ragged trying to get everything perfect, and it had a dangerous effect on my eating." Then, Alix's engagement fell apart in a tragic way. In another People interview from around the same time, the "Home in a Heartbeat" host confirmed that she told her fiancé what she was going through and that she wanted to get professional help. 

Devastatingly, "He did not want to marry me anymore because I had been dishonest by hiding my struggle." At the point of her breakup, Alix had already moved to Connecticut and quit her position at Goldman Sachs so she immediately turned around and went back to Florida, sadly acknowledging, "I was in the lowest point of my life." 

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

Fortunately, Galey Alix was eventually able to get the help she needed. In a July 2023 chat with Business Insider, she described going through treatment with a therapist and nutritionist. Alix also revealed to People the surprising upside to what she endured. "If it hadn't been so devastating and dramatic in the worst way, I don't think I would've hit the low I needed to hit so that I could stand up differently in a new life," the HGTV star reasoned. "So I'm really grateful for it." The stress that went along with her burgeoning design business added additional hardship. 

While filming "Home in a Heartbeat," Alix was still working at Goldman Sachs (after getting her job back post-breakup). The businesswoman used the paid time off she'd saved up to give herself three days per project, but Alix wouldn't sleep much, if at all, during this time, confessing that she would often cry in the tub after each project was finished. "There's so much emotion and stress," Alix explained to Business Insider. "All the pressure's on me." Although she loves seeing people's positive reactions when she shows them the work she did, the HGTV host still gets worried each time.

Alix was also refreshingly frank about the toll of the first design project she did after going through treatment, redownloading Instagram, and realizing her design videos had got very popular in the meantime. The interior designer cried, unsure if she would ever get to have the family and future she wanted. It wasn't all bad, though, with Alix proclaiming, "I also felt, in a way, like I'd gotten it back because I created it for them."

As of this writing, "Home in a Heartbeat" hasn't been renewed for another season just yet. However, Galey Alix left her Goldman Sachs position in 2023, which she confirmed in an interview with the company. The interior designer also touched on how overwhelming it was balancing everything, since for a while she was working there, renovating homes, filming her show, and editing it too. "The last year of my life has been a turbulent whirlwind of extremely high highs, often debilitating stress, and a lot of firsts," Alix disclosed. "I would do it all over again if given the chance, though I'm confident I would not survive this gauntlet a second time." Ultimately, she had to make a decision, confidently stating, "Today, my design side-hustle is officially my only hustle." 

Of course, cutting out her Goldman Sachs position didn't completely alleviate the interior designer's stress. Alix has openly discussed her mental health journey on social media, including in May 2024 when she had to go to the ER due to stress-induced hives. The HGTV star noted in an Instagram Story, "I had a number of really difficult/stressful phone calls (4 actually) on Friday. I woke up the next day covered in hives. My body physically INTERNALIZED the anxiety I was having from these calls," (via Heavy). They would not heal and spread further, so she went to the hospital for treatment and was told to take it easy for 36 hours. Notably, Alix used the scary moment as an opportunity to advise her Instagram followers to take better care of their mental health accordingly.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.