Mariah Carey 'closer than ever' to Nick Cannon after hospitalisation

Mariah Carey is "closer than ever" to husband Nick Cannon following his hospitalisation and surgery last week (ends08Jan12), according to the TV personality's father.

Nick Cannon suffered acute kidney failure during a winter break in Aspen, Colorado earlier this month (Jan12) and was subsequently transferred to a Los Angeles medical facility near the couple's home.

Mariah Carey shared photos of herself tending to her partner in his hospital bed prior to his surgery on Friday (06Jan12), and now Cannon has been released from doctors' care, his dad Jason has opened up about the health scare.

He tells Us Weekly, "Nick and Mariah have a very strong bond. If anything, this unexpected illness has made them closer than ever and appreciate one another even more. She would stay in the hospital overnight to support him. So they managed to cope even though Nick was pretty sick. But he is glad to be home now and his whole family is pleased about that also.

"The great thing about my son is that he always tries to stay upbeat. He took his mind off things by joking with the nurses and doctors and things like that.

"The doctors have ordered him to rest and make some adjustments to his diet too. It has been an educational process for him, and he is determined to make those changes and stay away from soft drinks and too many sugar-based foods now."

Mariah Carey took to her Twitter.com page once again on Tuesday (10Jan12) to update her fans on Cannon's recovery.

She declared, "Daddy Nick is getting better, we're all home together taking care of each other, excited about the new year!!"