Nicole Curtis is making her return to HGTV with an all-new season of Rehab Addict, following several significant life changes in recent years.
Speaking to People ahead of the new season, which premieres today, Tuesday, June 24, Curtis revealed how a “devastating setback” in her life had a profound impact, leading to some major decisions.
“I had a setback in my life that just rocked me to the core, and it was one of those moments where I thought, how do I get through this one?” she told the outlet. While she didn’t share exact details of what happened, Curtis added, “I prayed on it and it was just devastating for me. I had to make a decision right there and then like, ‘Okay, we’re going to let this affect us for a very long time, or we’re going to pick it up and go.’”
One of those big decisions was buying a new home in Wyoming—an unfinished 1890s flip in need of substantial repairs. In the upcoming ninth season of Rehab Addict, viewers will follow Curtis and her team as they restore the Wyoming house, along with a Detroit property that had been overrun by squatters.
“I think everyone will be so excited, because you see a lot of familiar faces,” Curtis said of the new season. “All the guys on my crew that [viewers have] loved over the years, they’re back. We’ve all stayed friends and they’re here.”
However, a big difference in the new series will be the absence of Curtis’ family, including her two sons, Ethan (born 1997), whom she shares with ex Steven Cimini, and Harper (born 2015), whom she shares with ex Shane Maguire.
“I learned my lesson,” Curtis said of featuring her children on TV. “I think there’s one gift we can give our children, and I give them privacy. They’re out in public with me a lot, and I shield them.”
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She continued, “My son, when we first started the TV show… we didn’t have all the social media presence. He was in sixth grade, he thought it was cool, and his buddies thought it was cool to be on TV. And they still make fun of him because they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, we can see you as a young boy, you had braces’ and all this. But I won’t do that again. My boys are my most precious, precious things in the entire world to me.”
One person who is set to appear on Season 9 is Curtis’ ex-boyfriend, Ryan Sawtelle, a carpenter who will assist with the work on the Wyoming property.
“We were together a long time and I was very close to his family,” Curtis explained. “So we never really stayed out of contact. Your lives are so enmeshed. I didn’t know anyone in Wyoming, but I knew somebody near Wyoming, and so I gave him a call.”
Curtis added, “We just went out there together and checked out the house. It wasn’t anything else. There was definitely no reconciliation or ‘Maybe this was a mistake not being together.’ No, no, no, …. Us going separate paths was a hundred percent the best idea that we ever had.”
As for whether she is currently dating anyone, Curtis kept that information to herself. “I keep my private life private and because I think there’s been some very traumatic moments in my life that weren’t so private,” she shared. “Another lesson learned. I tell people all the time, if you’re in my circle, then you know what’s going on in my life. Other than that, I stay pretty mute about everything.”
Curtis was embroiled in a tense, years-long custody battle over Harper with Maguire, with her decision to continue breastfeeding her son at age 3 becoming a point of contention in the legal fight. The former couple came to a custody agreement in October 2018.
“Our family went through a lot over the years, and so that’s definitely something that I have done my best to keep my family out of the public eye and focus on the houses,” she stated. “That’s always where we wanted that focus to be.”
While Curtis’ sons won’t appear in the series, the boys did inspire one of her favorite moments from the new season.
“I got to ride in a monster truck,” she revealed. “That might seem kind of silly, but I have boys, right? I’m a boy mom and so I’ve always loved monster trucks. I think they’re amazing. And I always said like, ‘Man, I want to go in a monster truck and I want to jump them. And lo and behold, in this little tiny town in Wyoming, they had a monster truck rally.”
Rehab Addict, Season 9, Premieres, Tuesday, June 24, 9 pm et, HGTV