Tragic Details About David Bromstad's Life

David Bromstad is one of the shining stars of HGTV. This personable and passionate star has appeared on a number of the network's biggest shows, including "Color Splash," "My Lottery Dream Home," and "Design Star All-Stars." On the surface, life for Bromstad couldn't be better. In fact, in 2013 while living in Miami, Florida, he proudly shared during an interview with Lavender: "I love my life. ... I am very blessed." And there's no doubt he is. From a blossoming career to a bustling social life, despite a few controversial moments here and there, Bromstad seems to have it all.

But life hasn't been as easy as it may seem for the design TV staple. In fact, this much-loved happy-go-lucky star has had to weather quite a few storms to get to where he is today, as it turns out his life hasn't actually always been quite as glamorous as we see on screen.

One of the biggest tragedies in life comes from a loved one getting sick. And, sadly, that was a tragedy David Bromstad faced in 2016. In a Facebook post from August of that year, the TV personality asked his friends and followers for their support after his dad was hospitalized. Bromstad explained that his dad would be in the hospital for at least a few days, with the host explaining: "His valves are freaking out and is having major fluttering, his resting heart rate was at 136 which is very high. They are monitoring him for seizures and a heart attack." Bromstad also shared that his dad wasn't feeling very optimistic amid his health issues, and asked people to pray for him.

Thankfully, Bromstad's dad was able to make it through his tough time in the hospital. The HGTV star has shared a number of photos with his dad, who he appears pretty close with, since the health scare. In an Instagram upload in 2021, Bromstad referred to his pops as "the greatest dad ever." Alongside photos of the two of them smiling, he gushed: "[You're] amazingly kind hearted, Godly, loving and deliciously competitive! Thank u for teaching me to be compassionate, kind, confident and of course silly!"

It's not just the tragic health issues of his dad that David Bromstad has experienced. In 2015, he took to Facebook to share the incredibly sad story of his friend, Gregg Girard, who had experienced a hemorrhagic stroke. The incident completely altered Girard's life and left him in need of a lot of care and rehabilitation to help gain back his mobility.

"With this very personal request, I am asking for your help," Bromstad wrote on the social media site, explaining that he'd joined forces with Girard's family and a non-profit in order to raise funds for Girard to get some normalcy back into his life. "Every day with physical therapy is one step closer to recovery," Bromstad shared, alongside a donation page, which has since expired. The TV star also included several throwback photos of himself and Girard in the post. Bromstad doesn't appear to have offered an update on Girard's recovery since, but judging by Girard's Facebook page, he appears to be doing well. 

Sadly, David Bromstad spent some of his early years dealing with bullies. The star has opened up a couple of times about his difficult experience at school, telling Lavender during his 2013 interview that he was harassed by his classmates after moving cities but he didn't even know why. "Going to school was torture for me and I dreaded going to school for fear of being tormented every day. I was always the center of every joke and always laughed at," he explained. Bromstad also shared that he would have slurs hurled at him. "I don't know if there is any way to let you know how I got through it. I just did. I woke up, I dressed myself and I just had to go through it," he recalled.

Today though, Bromstad has turned that horrific experience into a positive. The TV personality now uses his voice and resources to help others in his position who are dealing with bullies. In 2013, Bromstad donated $5,000 to Safe Schools South Florida, which helps create safe environments for LGBTQ+ youth in Florida schools. "I was bullied and harassed continually through high school, and I know what hell that can be," Bromstad shared in a statement. "I wanted to support Safe Schools South Florida's great work on behalf of LGBTQ students and help prevent this bullying and harassment from happening to others."

When the now heavily tattooed David Bromstad came out in the 1980s, it definitely wasn't easy for him. Speaking to Passport, Bromstad recalled feeling brave enough to share his identity with those around him, but recalled his coming out wasn't exactly met with a lot of praise or understanding from those at his school. And that included his own principal. "600 kids in the cafeteria made obscene gestures targeted at me. Even the junior high principal, who wanted to be cool and probably didn't realize the meaning of what the kids were doing, joined in the ridicule," he recalled.

Bromstad came out again as a public figure in 2006, which he explained was more well-received than in his younger years. But that still didn't make it easy. "I finally accepted myself for who I was and loved myself for who I was ... it was a struggle for me ... as it went against everything I was raised to believe," he shared. "So it took me 10 years to understand that I am an amazing human being no matter what."

The star now seems to be more comfortable in his own skin than ever though and often shares words of affirmation and encouragement across his social media accounts. "On set being the gayest version of myself. YAy!!! Always be u. Never let anyone tell u different," he captioned a set of Instagram selfies in 2021.

David Bromstad experienced another difficult period in his life following his split from his former long-term partner, Jeffrey Glasko. The two were together for at least 10 years before calling it quits, after which the twosome's relationship publicly turned seriously sour.

InTouch Weekly reported that Glasko sued his former partner in a civil suit, alleging that Bromstad had not honored a verbal cohabitation agreement and had not divided up the condo they previously lived in together. The outlet also claimed that Glasko had allegedly accused his former partner of drug use and hiring sex workers. However, a judge removed those allegations from the suit. Glasko then amended the suit and filed again with similar allegations, with a judge again choosing to remove the allegations from the suit.

Bromstad's lawyer, William V. Roppolo, hit back against the allegations in a statement, sharing: "These salacious claims were made by a desperate person. The allegations are part of a lawsuit that has been dismissed in Mr. Bromstad's favor with sanctions levied against [Jeffrey Glasko]." With Bromstad firmly denying the claims against him, the legal drama must have resulted in a pretty tough time for the TV star.

In August 2023, David Bromstad shared a huge personal triumph on Instagram after climbing the Norwegian mountain Reinebringen. Bromstad shared a number of very impressive photos and videos from the tough climb in his post, but shared that reaching the peak meant more to him than just the physical win.

In the caption, the TV star explained that he'd been experiencing a difficult period in his life during the few years prior. "I've been [though] a lot the last few years, which I will share when I'm ready, and this was incredibly symbolic for me. Conquering one of my greatest fears, heights, was not on my bucket list tbh but when I started the stairway of Reinenbringen I knew I was going to reach the top," he wrote, without sharing too much detail about what he'd experienced during his tough period.

Though he didn't confirm exactly what he'd been dealing with, Bromstad explained that reaching the top of the mountain helped him feel as though he had reached the other side of his tough time. "Letting go of [past] mistakes and regrets. Letting [these] moments pass [through] me has given me [an] intense clarity Building foundations! Feels good to be present, sober and living the life I was intended to live," he shared.