Tammy Slaton's estranged husband has died at the age of 40.
The 36-year-old reality star - who is best known for appearing on TLC series '1000-Lb Sisters' - tied the knot with Caleb Willingham at the end of 2022 after just two weeks of dating but in May was said to be "ready to file for divorce" and on Saturday (01.07.23) took to social media to announce that he had died suddenly.
Without revealing a cause of death, she wrote on Instagram: "Rip sweet angel you will forever be missed and loved so much thank you Caleb for showing me real love and happiness."
Tammy - who has appeared on the diet series alongside her sister Amy Slaton-Halterman, 35, since 2020 and met her former husband in a weight loss rehabilitation clinic - also described Caleb as her "best friend" and now thinks of him as her "guardian angel" since his passing.
She told People: "I am devastated to share the news of my husband’s passing. He was my best friend and I loved him dearly. When I met Caleb he became my guardian angel and now he really is watching over me. Our families appreciate everyone’s sympathy and ask that you respect our privacy at this time."
The television network also paid tribute to tragic Caleb - who had appeared on the fourth season of his wife's reality show - and sent their condolences to his family as well as Tammy.
In a statement, TLC said: "We are deeply saddened to learn of Caleb Willingham’s passing. Our condolences go out to Tammy, his family and friends at this difficult time."
The news comes just months after an insider claimed they had decided to call time on their short-lived marriage after having a "big fight" over Caleb's supposed lack of weight loss effort and she had her legal team "lined up" to start divorce proceedings.
The source told The US Sun: "Tammy has her legal team lined up and is ready to file for divorce. They split up because Caleb hasn't been following his diet in rehab. He has gained 30 lbs and hasn't been working his program." hey got into a big fight over it and he told her he wanted a divorce, but then he tried to backtrack."
