Lamar Odom on Sobriety, Making Amends With His Kids and Repaying Ex-Wife Khloe Kardashian: 'I Want My Wife Bac
Lamar Odom is opening up about his near-fatal overdose and vowing to make amends with his children and ex-wife, Khloe Kardashian.
The former NBA star’s life hung in the balance after he was hospitalized in Nevada in October 2015, but in a new interview with Dr. Travis Stork onThe Doctors, the 37-year-old athlete shared how he is finally sober following a 30-day rehab program.
WATCH: Lamar Odom Reveals He Wants Ex-Wife Khloe Kardashian Back in New Interview
While it’s not the first time that Odom has sought treatment for his struggles, he noted that his latest stint was the most effective, and he now plans to mend relationships with his three children, as well as Kardashian.
“[My children] were really happy that I went through the process,” he said during the interview. “I was thinking a lot, too much, about how they would think of me, but once I let down that guard, let them in and let them know everything I was going through, I think it helped build our relationship. We were struggling.”
Odom’s marriage also struggled through the ordeal.
WATCH: Lamar Odom Completes Rehab Stint After One Month
After tying the knot with Kardashian in 2009, the couple’s relationship was thwarted by Odom’s cheating and substance abuse issues and Kardashian filed for divorce in 2013. While she initially called off proceedings in the wake of Odom’s hospitalization, their divorce was finalized in December. Odom now confesses he wants to reconcile.
“Honestly, I want my wife back,” he shared. “Other than that, I just want to live a happy, healthy life. When you’re doing drugs, you become distant to everything. Even your feelings -- you become numb to everything. Just to reinstate what we had as a family, it was important to me. Khloé is important to me. She’s been through all this with me. She stood by my side. I just want to repay her.”
During the revealing interview, Odom also recounted the scary moment he woke up in hospital.
Confused and in disbelief, it was 32-year-old Kardashian who explained what had happened.
“It’s crazy because that night, I didn’t do any coke or anything like that,” Odom recalled. “So I was confused about how I got like that. I didn’t know until Khloé had told me that I was in a coma. I couldn’t even speak at the time. I couldn’t talk. So I was scared.”
WATCH: Lamar Odom Shares Sweet Family Pic With His Two Kids
Following rehab, the reality star says his greatest lesson has been that he’s “stronger than I give myself credit for,” and that it’s important to be a “good selfish.”
“Do I feel ashamed by some of the choices I made? Hell yeah,” he admitted. “They were despicable. I was basically just committing suicide. Being that I know it’s a disease, it allows me to forgive myself a little bit more.”
See more on the star and his kids in the video below.