‘1000-Lb. Sisters’ Season 5: Caleb Willingham Showed Tammy Slaton Secret Snack Stash Before Death

TLC’s 1000-Lb. Sisters Season 5 shows Tammy Slaton’s relationship with Caleb Willingham before Caleb’s death. Tammy and Caleb met in rehab and married in November 2022 with the support of friends and family. Sadly, Caleb died in July 2023. Before his death, a clip from the new season shows Caleb showing Tammy his secret stash of snacks he had in rehab.

A clip from ‘1000-Lb. Sisters’ Season 5 shows Caleb Willingham showing Tammy Slaton his secret snack stash

1000-Lb. Sisters Season 5 shows Tammy Slaton’s life after rehab — and, unfortunately, it includes Caleb Willingham remaining in rehab after she leaves.

In season 4, fans saw Tammy enter rehab at her highest weight ever at the beginning of the season. She had to lose significant weight to qualify for weight-loss surgery, and she succeeded. After weight-loss surgery, she remained in rehab to recover for a few months before leaving rehab at the start of season 5.

Tammy reveals to the cameras that she’s worried about Caleb backsliding on his progress while in rehab. He admitted to her that he gained weight even though he hoped to qualify for weight-loss surgery at some point in the near future. A clip from Access Hollywood then shows Caleb showing Tammy his secret stash of snacks he has in the facility.

“What is that?” Tammy asks Caleb while visiting him, referencing the basket of snacks.

“Candy, snack cakes, cookies,” Caleb says while showing her. “I can’t really spin it and make it look good.”

“First, you gotta remember, I’m fat, so I’m like a bloodhound. I can smell the snacks,” Tammy tells Caleb. “And two, I’m a woman. We notice everything. How did you think I was going to feel when I saw that?”

Caleb tells Tammy that he knows she won’t be happy. “But, I wanted it out in the open, just so, you know, couldn’t say I was hiding nothing,” he added. Caleb adds that he has a tough time in rehab without Tammy there. “It’s easier to jump in and just eat a bunch of junk food than to talk to you.”

“I don’t feel like Caleb is coping with the fact that I had to leave,” Tammy tells the cameras.

How did Caleb Willingham die?

At the start of 1000-Lb. Sisters Season 5, Caleb Willingham is alive in rehab. However, he died in July 2023. Tammy Slaton and the rest of the Slaton family have not spoken about the specific circumstances surrounding his death. But a police report obtained by Radar Online says that he died “a natural death caused by a medical issue.”

“Medical staff were on-scene with the patient when he became unresponsive,” the police report noted. “During this Officer’s involvement with the incident, there were no indications of any criminal activity. This death investigation is concluded by this department.”

In December 2023, Tammy told People she was “doing fairly well” months after his death. While she and Caleb became estranged before he died, she still cared deeply for him.

“He’s going to live on now forever because his memory is encapsulated,” she told People. “Knowing that he’s with me, it’s helping me pass the day. I find myself grabbing my necklace and holding it a lot. When I take off my jewelry, I feel like it’s weird, separation anxiety. I start panicking.”

Tammy added that she can now watch past episodes of 1000-Lb. Sisters to remember their relationship. “Every time I miss him, I can always look back at the show and watch it and see what made me happy again,” she said.

1000-Lb. Sisters Season 5 airs on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.

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