'Really Scary' (Exclusive): Selling Sunset’s Romain Bonnet Reveals Tarek El Moussa Saved Him from Choking

The reality star tells PEOPLE, El Moussa “understood right away” that something was wrong while they were having dinner together before a hockey game

Romain Bonnet is opening up about the terrifying moment his friend Tarek El Moussa had to act quickly to save his life.

During an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the Selling Sunset star recalled going to the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. with his wife Mary Bonnet to watch the Anaheim Ducks play the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 2, 2023. Tarek and Heather El Moussa also joined the couple to enjoy the hockey game alongside a few other friends.

The group decided to have dinner downstairs at the VIP Impact Club before the game. Romain recalls that after barely eating all day because of his busy schedule, he eagerly dug into the steak he ordered immediately. Then the unthinkable happened. 

“I couldn't talk, I couldn't say anything,” the model/contractor recalls after realizing he was choking on his food. “The first thought I had was to grab some water and try to drink it.” He adds that the water made it worse because it created more of a blockage in his airway.

“It was at that point that I couldn't breathe,” he says. 

While Tarek was getting up to grab another drink, he noticed Romain was struggling. 

“He said, ‘You okay?’ and I just shake my head. I'm like, ‘No,’” Romain says. Tarek then “understood right away” what was happening and started doing the Heimlich maneuver on him.  

Despite recovering from an arm injury a few months prior, the HGTV star kept doing the Heimlich on Romain until -

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the food became dislodged and he was able to breathe again. Honda Center medical staff also came over to assist during the incident.

Reflecting on the moment, Romain tells PEOPLE, “That was really scary. I'm glad my friend was there for me.”

In the moments after Tarek helped him, Romain says there was some discomfort but he still tried to enjoy the game. He adds his wife and Selling Sunset co-star Mary was “terrified” during the incident and constantly kept checking on him alongside Tarek and Heather.

Romain shares that after the game, Mary started looking into online training courses to be prepared in case something similar ever happens again. 

“​​Unfortunately, in many cases it's almost too late and people think about getting training only once it happens. So, in my case, I was fortunate enough to have my friend to be there to help me,” Romain says. 

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According to Mount Sinai, it’s important to “act fast” and begin abdominal thrusts (the Heimlich maneuver) if someone is unable to speak due to choking on food or another object. Along with the inability to speak, common symptoms of choking include difficulty breathing, a bluish skin color, weak coughing, high-pitched breathing and a loss of consciousness.

To learn more about the Heimlich maneuver and symptoms of choking, visit mountsinai.org.

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