Chris “CT” Tamburello will always love Diem Brown. After the MTV Challenge star’s death at age 32 on Friday, Nov. 14, her on-again, off-again boyfriend expressed his grief over her passing in a heartbreaking Instagram post on Nov. 19, the day after her funeral in New York City.
“You have always been My Angel. And now you have your wings. We’ve been thru so much over the years. Thru the ups and downs we somehow managed to keep our promise. We never gave up on each other,” he captioned a photo of her. “Our plan to be together forever hasn’t changed…it’s just going to take a little longer now. And I’m going to hold onto this ring for you till we are together again. So don’t worry mama, I’m not afraid. I know you will always be with me to give me your strength. You are The Love of My Life. My reason to be a better man. I Love You Always and Forever.”
Tamburello and Brown have been through a lot together, including her multiple battles with ovarian cancer. Their relationship wasn’t always easy, but they genuinely loved each other.
Back in September, a month after Brown collapsed during her eighth Challenge competition and was diagnosed with colon cancer, CT shared an Instagram photo of himself asleep in a chair next to her hospital bed, his hand holding hers as she, too, slept. “Sometimes just being there for someone can be the difference between a good and bad day,” he wrote alongside the picture. “@diembrown could definitely use a few…Please go to her support page: www.medgift.com/diemsnextchallenge.” Read Brown’s inspirational quotes on fighting cancer.
Just before Halloween, he shared another photo of them from several years ago. “My TBT goes to…The Definition of Grace Under Fire,” he captioned the sweet shot. “An inspiration of strength, heart, and hope for so many people. The toughest woman I know… @diembrown”
His final Instagram post before her death was shared on Nov. 5, and featured a close-up shot of Brown’s smiling face, as well as a quote he attributed to someone with the initials A.F. “‘There is nothing more delightful than an honest smile when having an awful day. To feel a cool breeze flowing over your body in the burning heat. To see the sun shining bright through the pouring rain and to have a friend who tells you that nothing comes close by any of them than you,'” the post read.
Those words were followed by some from Tamburello himself. “Your smile can change the world. It’s not the other way around…” he wrote, tagging Brown.
The MTV reality stars first started dating after meeting on the 13th season of The Challenge, a.k.a. The Duel, back in 2006. They dated on and off for a long time after that, often letting their relationship play out on follow-up seasons, including The Duel II and Battle of the Exes.
