- - HGTV designer David Bromstad went to rehab after storm destroyed home

Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY December 20, 2025 at 11:49 PM

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David Bromstad revealed he attended a treatment center while filming his new HGTV special, which premiered Friday, Dec. 19.

The HGTV star said he struggled with substance abuse after a storm destroyed his dream home in Florida mid-renovation, according to a clip from "My Lottery Dream Home: David’s Happy Ending" shared by People. As a designer, he said he didn't realize how interwoven the home was with his own mental health.

Designer David Bromstad speaks on a panel during the HGTV portion of the Discovery Communications Winter 2019 TCA Tour at the Langham Hotel on Feb. 12, 2019, in Pasadena, California.

"I got into some unhealthy behaviors, and it's really easy to go there when you're under distress," Bromstad said. "I knew I was in trouble."

He continued: "I think with the house, with where I’m at emotionally, physically, spiritually, psychologically, everything has stopped. I was literally screaming out for help."

How was David Bromstad's home destroyed?

Bromstad, 52, said extreme water damage, flooding and excessive mold required him to destroy his "childhood fantasy" home and start from square one. Realizing the toll the devastation took on his mental health, he decided he had to address his own personal struggles.

"I decided it's time. I need to put my house on hold, and I need to check myself into some sort of program," he said. "I need to talk. I need to climb out of this hole. I need to understand why I climbed into it in the first place."

He explained the home was intended to heal his own trauma, including grappling with bullying, depression and growing up closeted as a queer teenager.

"I was exactly this amount of gay, this amount of perfect, but that was not celebrated, that was looked (at) in a different way back then," he added. "I was super depressed. I was super bullied. And so for me to idealize my childhood was a complete defense mechanism that was beautiful; it saved me."

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Bromstad confirmed he was sober in an August 2023 Instagram post after a trip to Norway celebrating his 50th birthday, during which he climbed 2,000 steps up Reinebringen Mountain in the Lofoten Islands.

"Letting theses moments pass thru me has given me a intense clarity Building foundations! Feels good to be present, sober and living the life I was intended to live," he wrote.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: HGTV designer David Bromstad sought rehab after storm destroyed home

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