HGTV Star Secretly Marries Longtime Beau Amid ‘Debilitating’ Health Crisis

Heavy A bride holding her bouquet, and the exterior of a hospital emergency room

When Cristy Lee returns to HGTV in the new competition series “Battle on the Mountain,” debuting on January 22, 2024, it will signify a fresh start for the real estate expert and car enthusiast.

Since premiering her HGTV show “Steal This House” in 2022, Lee has been navigating two serious health challenges while planning a secret wedding from her bed, according to People. She revealed to the magazine that she married her longtime beau in November, determined not to let the speed bumps in her health journey keep her from the altar.

Here’s what you need to know:

Cristy Lee Fell Ill Days After Booking Her Car-Themed Wedding Venue

Lee, who’s also starred on Motortrend’s “Garage Squad” and “Celebrity IOU: Joyride,” married her boyfriend of eight years, John Hawkins, on November 18, 2023.

But the couple didn’t announce their nuptials publicly for two months. On January 19, Lee posted a photo on Instagram from their wedding and wrote, “Just gonna leave this right here…”

According to People, the couple threw a wedding for 160 guests in Michigan, where they live, at the historic Packard Proving Grounds, a 17-acre site that became the home of the Packard Motor Car Co. in 1927. Hawkins, who works for General Motors, and Lee fell in love with the site because it “oozed automobilia and history,” she said.

But days after booking the venue in early 2023 — following Hawkins’ proposal in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, just before Christmas — Lee woke up with a severe migraine that caused progressive swelling and pain for a week, finally requiring a trip to the ER, she shared in an October Instagram post.  That was the beginning of a wild health journey she’s been on for the past year.

Eventually diagnosed with Graves’ disease and thyroid eye disease (TED), Lee underwent two eye surgeries and started a treatment plan that has included getting steroid injections in her eyes, she revealed via Instagram on January 18.

Lee first let fans know about her health crisis in August 2023, when she posted a brief video on Instagram to show fans her swollen and bruised face, revealing that the previous eight months had been “the most challenging time in my entire life.”

“Graves causes hyperthyroidism,” she informed her followers. “I experienced a ‘thyroid storm’ so basically went from being asymptomatic my entire life to the ER in less than a week. Monitoring heart rate, blood pressure and lots of medication took a few months to stabilize, I choose to have a Total Thyroidectomy.”

According to Mayo Clinic, a total thyroidectomy is the removal of the thyroid gland, which “makes hormones that control every part of your metabolism, from your heart rate to how quickly you burn calories.” Upon its removal, Lee wrote on Instagram, her doctors found cancer in her thyroid.

Though Lee has found her Graves’ disease to be manageable, she said her rare eye condition has been far worse to navigate.

“Physically, this eye disease is debilitating,” she wrote. “Severe pain & swelling, impaired vision, zero mobility, facial changes, light sensitivity (sunglasses 24/7) I couldn’t drive for 5 months… but mentally, it took the cake. I’ve always been a strong person, but this broke me….the state of my mental health was not good for awhile.”

Cristy Lee Decided to Carry On With Wedding Despite Health Crisis, But Still Saved the Date

Lee told People that although she thought about pushing back her wedding to Hawkins, she didn’t want her health to keep her from getting married.

“We considered postponing,” she said, “but then we decided, ‘We’re doing this. We’re going to do this wedding regardless of how I look or if I feel well enough. We’re making it happen.’ Nothing was going to take this day away from me. I thought, ‘This is my day!'”

Lee did much of her wedding planning from bed, telling People it was “a hustle to the finish line,” but she leaned on lots of family and friends to help.

“We couldn’t have done it without them,” she said. “The outpouring of love and help from the people who are most important to us was just incredible. Everything I went through with my health just puts life into a totally different perspective. In the end, what’s most important is the people close to you.”

In her January 18 Instagram post, Lee shared that she continues to receive treatment for inflammation in her eyes, including a recent steroid injection.

She wrote, “Yea it’s exactly what it looks like — a giant needle going into my eye lol Injected under the eye and into the muscles behind it to reduce inflammation and pressure and boy, did this provide relief.”

Lee continued, “I puked about 2 minutes after this video was taken though 😂 but I’d do it again to ease the symptoms even a little!”

Despite her health challenges, Lee was able to film with HGTV for its new competition series, “Battle on the Mountain,” and told People that returning to that work was a huge relief.

“Shooting the show was such a great experience,” she said. “It was so meaningful for me to get back on camera. I’m honored to be a part of it.”