My 600-Lb Life Couples Who Broke Up After Their Weight Loss Journey

The TLC show "My 600-Lb. Life" was launched in 2012 and follows various people and their struggles with drastic weight loss. The participants are all roughly 600 lbs at the beginning of their journey, and they must meet exercise and diet goals set by Dr. Now — Younan Nowzaradan — a bariatric surgeon. Each person is followed for a year or more in the hopes they will qualify for bariatric surgery and see massive results. 

Most people on the show are partnered when their journey begins, as they tend to require a great amount of help to even complete daily care tasks. The majority of people would assume that weight loss and improved health would be a boon to a relationship, but that is not always the case. In fact, relationship troubles are so prevalent after drastic weight loss there is a term for it: Bariatric Divorce. According to a 2022 study, surgery recipients are twice as likely to get divorced.

Therapist Shyamala Kiru explains to the Toronto Star, "Weight loss isn't just physical. So much of it is mental, the boost in self-esteem and confidence. When you feel different about yourself, you make different choices." The study results seem to align with the outcomes of the relationships on "My 600-Lb. Life." Many of the relationships that seemed strong in the beginning, don't survive the weight loss process. The following ten show participants found their relationships weren't able to make it in the long run.

Tara Taylor weighed 606 lbs when she was featured on Season 2 of "My 600-Lb. Life," and she was facing multiple health issues. Taylor began overeating in childhood, but by the time she ended up on the show, her weight gain had spiraled out of control. She no longer had the capacity to care for herself or her children. Taylor worked hard, changing her eating and exercise habits, and she was able to lose 119 lbs to qualify for the surgery. She kept going and eventually lost over 100 more. 

With her healthier lifestyle and newfound confidence, Taylor was ready to dip her toes in the dating world. She even agreed to go on her first real date with the TLC cameras in tow. "I have never in my life been on a traditional date," she explained. "I don't know if I am ready, but I am going to take a chance." Taylor chose her son's barber Eugene — whom she had known for more than a decade — to jump with her into the dating pool. Things went well, and the pair got engaged. 

Before the wedding bells started ringing, however, Taylor posted on social media that Eugene was cheating (via Starcasm). She found his still-active online dating profile and shared a screenshot, captioning it, "He had the nerve to make this when he was engaged to me. When someone shows you who they are believe it." 

Lacey Buckingham was 36 when she was featured in Season 10 of "My 600-Lb. Life." She had serious health concerns and weighed 593 lbs. Buckingham was struggling with a traumatic childhood and turned to eating to cope. Her food addiction kept her from hitting the goals set by Dr. Now, and during her time on the show, she was denied bypass surgery. 

As Buckingham was unable to do most of her daily care, she relied heavily on her boyfriend Ricky. They had not been together very long at the start of the episode, but he was helping her bathe and deal with personal matters. While the pair seemed to be happy and even got engaged, Ricky's sister Sharon was not on board with the relationship. She felt that her brother was being used, and she worried about his own health problems. Ricky suffers from seizures due to epilepsy. Buckingham and Sharon had a huge fight which led to the newly engaged couple breaking up. As of this writing, there is a new love for Buckingham on the horizon, but she has not yet disclosed the new partner's identity.

Food addict Bianca Hayes started her journey at 604 lbs and looked forward to being able to handle more of the day-to-day tasks of running a household and raising her kids. She moved to Houston to work with Dr. Now, and she was able to lose over 150 lbs in her episode. She continued down her path to a healthier lifestyle, and in March 2023 posted a TikTok showing she has managed to keep her weight down since her time on the show. 

When her episode aired during the tenth season, she was living with her boyfriend Romonte and her two children. Initially supportive, Romonte changed his tune when Bianca began to get serious about her weight loss. The two split before she moved to Houston to complete her surgery. However, they reconciled at some point, as Hayes began posting photos with Romonte again. Unfortunately, in July 2023, she posted a series of videos stating that he had passed away. Hayes appears to be doing well and has since posted videos celebrating her son's birthday.

Christina Phillips was bedridden when she started her weight loss journey with "My 600-Lb. Life" and weighed in at over 700 lbs. At 23 years old, she was completely reliant on her husband Zach for her care and was eating up to 7,000 calories per day. However, she was able to meet her goals created by Dr. Now and qualify for surgery. Phillips is one of the show's biggest successes, dropping down to 172 lbs and even completing a couple of 5k walk/run events.

While Zach was okay with taking care of Phillips in her bedridden state, he apparently couldn't handle an independent wife. The pair divorced, and Phillips went on to continue to improve her life. She is now a mother of two children, Ethan and Ezra, whom she shares pictures of often on her Instagram. In her 2016 "My 600-Lb. Life: Where Are They Now?" appearance, she was living with Shane, a long-time friend-turned-romantic partner. As of this writing, there is no update on their relationship status. 

Zsalynn Whitworth was featured in Season 2 of "My 600-Lb. Life" and appeared on the show with her husband Garreth. Whitworth was close to 600 lbs when she started her weight loss journey, and she managed to shed nearly 400 pounds and complete both gastric bypass and skin removal surgeries.

For Whitworth's husband, her losing weight was a turn-off. He preferred women of a larger size and was not supportive of her desire to lose weight. He made several infamous comments about her weight loss on the show, including "I'm not buying you a salad. If you want to eat grass, you can go in the garden and graze." Many fans of the show were concerned about his behavior and some considered it abusive. The pair did eventually divorce, and Whitworth moved on in her dating life, sharing a picture of a new man on social media.

Laura Perez had quite the transformation during her time on the show, losing more than 50% of her peak weight. Perez started her journey at 594 lbs and lost over 200 pounds. When her episode started, she was struggling with severe diabetes, was on oxygen, and required a wheelchair. Her health was one of the main reasons Perez wanted to lose weight. As she explained on air, "I know if I don't do something, I'm going to die soon." By the time Perez came back for a "My 600-Lb. Life Where Are They Now?" airing, she was down to 182 pounds. 

 While fans were cheering her on, her husband Joey didn't like that she no longer needed him to take care of her. InTouch reported on their marital troubles: "I feel like I'm on the sidelines. She don't need me as often and I feel a little scared I'm going to lose her with all the changes we're going through," Joey said. At the time, Perez had no plans to leave her marriage, but the pair did eventually split. 

Since then, Perez has moved on with her life and found a new romantic partner named Eric Juarez. According to Starcasm, the pair may have gotten married and had children, but social media postings since that article was published indicate she is single. 

When Lupe Samano's journey started in Season 4, she weighed 642 lbs and had been unable to leave her bed for roughly a decade. Just riding to Dr. Now's office in Houston was detrimental to her health, she had to be admitted into the hospital afterward due to the strain on her heart. She learned she was in heart failure and was quite close to death. Samano worked hard while on the show, and she managed to drop 300 pounds and qualify for surgery. 

Samano's husband, Gilbert, spent years taking care of her — even while she was bedridden. However, Gilbert was abusive and cheated on Samano more than once. She stuck with him for a while, and in her "My 600-Lb. Life: Where Are They Now?" appearance, she spoke about them resuming intimacy. However, she did not care for his drinking habits. Things took a turn when Gilbert pressured her to have sex after her skin removal surgery. Samano had to go back to surgery because the sutures ruptured and became infected. On top of that, she learned he was contacting women on the internet. She left Gilbert and went to stay with her family in California. 

While in California, Samano found love again with Andrew Renteria, an old friend. The two had plans to marry and have children, but unfortunately, Renteria passed away in 2019. 

Amber Rachdi was just 23 when they appeared on the show in Season 3. They weighed 657 lbs at that time and suffered from anxiety which caused them to overeat. At the beginning of their weight loss journey, they lived at home with their parents and had a boyfriend named Rowdy. Rachdi admitted to feeling guilt over their eating habits, the burden they were placing on their parents, and their inability to have an intimate relationship with their partner. 

Rachdi worked hard on the weight loss plan. They changed their eating habits, lost 17 pounds, and qualified for surgery. Rachdi would go on to attend therapy and continue to progress — eventually moving out of their parent's house and regaining some independence. They would lose roughly 400 pounds in total. 

The relationship with Rowdy did not make it the entire journey, however, the pair are still friends. According to Rachdi, he is still very supportive. In a since-deleted tweet, Rachdi defended their former partner (after the internet came for him) saying, "In defense of Rowdy, my ex who was on the show: who do y'all think is taking pictures of me at the gym? He IS a good, supportive friend" (via PopSugar). Rachdi got engaged and married according to their social media posts, however, they like to keep their life private and have not revealed their spouse. 

Season 4 featured June McCamey who was 590 lbs on her first weigh-in with Dr. Now. She turned to food in order to cope with trauma, and tipping the scales at almost 600 lbs, McCamey was barely able to care for herself. Her girlfriend Sadi did nearly everything, including helping McCamey bathe. 

Her weight loss journey was extremely successful. McCamey was able to get down to 240 lbs with her diet changes and exercise regimen. She initially wanted to lose weight to live a better life with Sadi, but the pair grew apart as McCamey's weight loss progressed. 

After the show, McCamey stayed on track and continued to get healthier. In 2019, she announced on Instagram that she tied the knot with her partner, Mary. She donned a beautiful beaded gown with a plum-colored sash. Since then, McCamey has continued to post inspirational quotes and products from her handmade jewelry collection. 

Rena Kriser and her boyfriend Lee appeared on Season 6 of the show together. She weighed 549 pounds, and he weighed 714 pounds. The pair met 11 years before their appearance on "My 600-lb Life" at a weight loss center where Lee was being treated. Rena was there supporting her brother, but when she and Lee started dating, they had to leave the rehab as it was against the rules. While they took care of each other through the years, by the time they appeared on the show, they were unable to completely care for themselves.

She took her journey seriously and ended up losing a substantial amount of weight. She stuck with the diet and completed her fitness goals. She lost 271 pounds without the help of surgery. Lee also made great strides on his journey as well. He was able to get down to 411 pounds with a modified diet and exercise routine. 

As for the relationship, fans witnessed a whirlwind on social media — name-calling and status changes. The pair were both posting about being single for a while, and Lee shared photos of another woman.  Rena kicked off the drama with a now-deleted post (via Distractify) that said, "Wow Once A Cheater Always A Cheater." However, the pair seemed to be reconciled as they both changed their statuses back to "In a Relationship" in 2019 and Lee shared a pic of them together. Neither is very active on social media, and no further relationship updates have been posted. 

When Tanisha Cleveland debuted on Season 5, she weighed 589 lbs. At 32, Tanisha had already weathered sexual abuse, assault, and a childhood of violence. Her grandparents mostly raised her due to her own parents' drug addiction, and she often turned to food for comfort. Her weight became an issue after her second child was born, and it took therapy and working with Dr. Now three times to get her headed in the right direction. 

When she started her work with Dr. Now, she was married to a man named Troy. While he helped care for her at her largest, he wasn't supportive of her weight loss or the positive changes she was making in her life. In one episode of the show, Cleveland explains why their relationship fell apart, "Troy and I started fighting because I felt like he wasn't being supportive of me trying to get my life turned around for the better. So, he decided to leave." She goes on to talk about how much it hurt her, "It was definitely painful. I am thinking this is my soulmate; this is the person I am going to spend the rest of my life with."

The breakup didn't hold her back, however. By the end of her journey on the show, Cleveland had shed nearly 120 lbs and found a new boyfriend. 

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).