Perez Hilton thought he was 'going to die' months before his latest hospitalization following distressing knife livestream

Perez Hilton relived his harrowing hospitalization, during which he believed he was going to die, months before his heartbreaking self-harming incident. 

The celebrity blogger, 48, was taken away in an ambulance on Tuesday night following a distressing TikTok livestream which saw him self-harm with a knife, with a statement from his family on Wednesday sharing that while he is now 'able to communicate,' he is still being treated in hospital.

But months before the new concerning incident, Hilton was facing health troubles that landed him in the hospital. 

Believing he was to die, Hilton found God in the hospital and has become devoted to his faith ever since. 

'I was in the hospital for 21 days, so I thought I was gonna die,' he said on FOX News Media's Hang Out with Sean Hannity podcast, which was recorded on July 14 and released on Wednesday.

'Especially because the first few days they couldn't find where the perforation was and then I had all of these other issues. My body just started breaking down.'

'I had fluid in my lungs. I went AFib. My heart issues. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong,' he said.

'I'm 48 and I've never taken any kind of flu medication with food. And some medication, you don't need to take with food. The flu medication you're supposed to take with food.'

He explained that he was 'taking Aleve and Tylenol' without eating prior. 

'I know, I did that for a week, and I developed an ulcer and a perforation and here we are.'

In March, Hilton revealed that he had just emerged from a 21-day hospital stint as he battled sepsis, a result, he said, of taking flu medication on an empty stomach that triggered a cascade of health problems.

At the Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, Hilton underwent two surgeries as he was treated for a string of medical crises.

During his recovery the following month, Hilton wrote he felt 'like I should be scared right now, but I'm not.'

'I definitely am worried, though. God show me the way!' he wrote on April 8.

'Perez Hilton is GOING THROUGH IT right now. He asks for prayers and for Christ to intervene - sooner [rather] than later.'

Hilton later told the Daily Mail how he found God during his recovery.

'It was God presenting Himself to me, and then doing something that I could only describe as a miracle to heal me... I was still unwell, and then God did something,' the gossip columnist said.

He also said that his professed exchange with the Almighty allowed him to change his mindset about his rollercoaster 22-year career.

Hilton had come under fire over the years for his controversial behavior – including outing gay celebrities and giving certain A-listers inappropriate nicknames.

He admitted that he had 'made a lot of mistakes in the past which are very public. Which I own. Which I regret, which I have deep shame for, which I've apologized for repeatedly, publicly as well as privately.'

But, he said, 'to have this experience with God and to know that God loves me, and God forgives me, it was very healing, because I then forgave myself.'

Hilton also noted he harbored guilt over 'all of the mistakes - not even mistakes, they were awful decisions that I made' in his 'enfant terrible phase' as a celebrity blogger, when he 'knew what I was doing was wrong and I didn't care.'

'It's like if you're a drug addict, and you're stealing from your parents' money to buy drugs. You know what you're doing is wrong, and you don't care. You just want that hit,' the father-of-three continued. 'And that was truly what I was doing.'

For Hilton, the 'most powerful drug' was the 'attention' he garnered as an online gadfly, 'and I didn't care who I hurt in the process.'

Still, his 'experience with God' did not inspire a total career change.

When people ask if he'd consider changing professions, Hilton told them: 'No, because I'm not doing gossip. I do celebrity journalism.'

Earlier on Wednesday it was revealed that Hilton's three children, niece, and sister were inside his home minutes before his distressing livestream incident.

The celebrity blogger was taken to the hospital after self-harming with a knife at the Miami property on Tuesday night.

The family 'immediately fled' to protect the youngsters from 'witnessing any further trauma' when it became apparent that their father was 'experiencing a severe mental health crisis and harming himself,' according to a statement on Hilton's website.

His loved ones are now asking that his three children receive the 'privacy and space' needed 'during this unimaginably difficult time.'

'Our family cannot express enough our continued gratitude for the overwhelming outpouring of love, support, and prayers we have received during this incredibly difficult time,' the statement began.

'The events of the past several days have been nearly unbearable for our family.'

'Our highest priority right now is helping the children begin to heal from what they experienced. An important part of that process is allowing them to safely return home and begin rebuilding a sense of security and normalcy.'

'For the children’s safety, privacy, and well-being, we respectfully ask members of the media, paparazzi, content creators, and the public to leave the area surrounding the family’s home and not return. Please allow his children the privacy and space they need during this unimaginably difficult time.

'We will continue to provide updates on Perez’s condition through PerezHilton.com when we have additional information we are able to share.

'Again, thank you for your compassion, understanding, and continued prayers.'

Hilton's three children were born via surrogacy. His eldest son, Mario, was born in 2013, followed by two daughters, Mia in 2015 and Mayte in 2017.

Surveillance video captured the moment police swarmed the Miami home when concerned fans alerted 911 to Hilton's alarming self-harming behavior on a TikTok livestream.

Four squad cars were spotted pulling up to the celebrity blogger's ranch-style house with sirens blaring just after 7pm Tuesday after officers received multiple emergency calls about his behavior.

The video, captured by a neighbor's Ring doorbell camera, reveals officers then trying to coax Hilton, born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr, out of the home.

'Mario, it's the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, please step out of the house,' a deputy calls out as more police arrive.

Clips taken from the video, which the Daily Mail will not publish, appeared to show Hilton covered in blood while brandishing a knife.

Hilton was eventually taken to the hospital where he was surrounded by loved ones on Wednesday, including his 42-year-old sister, Barbara Lavandeira.

The video has been taken down, and Hilton's account has since been suspended by TikTok. 

If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org