Shark Tank's Robert Herjavec Opens Up About Meeting Fiancée Kym Johnson After His Painful Divorce and Suicidal Thoughts: 'It Was Like a Ray of Sunshine'

Two years ago, he experienced the lowest of the lows, but now Robert Herjavec is bouncing back from a painful divorce – and moving on with his brand-new fiancée, his former Dancing with the Stars partner Kym Johnson. But it wasn't an easy road to his new-found happiness.

Shark Tank's Robert Herjavec Opens Up About Meeting Fiancée Kym Johnson After His Painful Divorce and Suicidal Thoughts: 'It Was Like a Ray of Sunshine'| Engagements, Dancing With the Stars, Shark Tank, Dancing with the Stars, People Picks, TV News, Kym Johnson
Shark Tank's Robert Herjavec Opens Up About Meeting Fiancée Kym Johnson After His Painful Divorce and Suicidal Thoughts: 'It Was Like a Ray of Sunshine'| Engagements, Dancing With the Stars, Shark Tank, Dancing with the Stars, People Picks, TV News, Kym Johnson

"I had gone through some pretty tough times and hit a place I never thought I'd be," says the Shark Tank star, who told PEOPLE last year that he once contemplated suicide following the breakup of his 24-year marriage and estrangement from his three children. "In life, when you get to that point, you either move on, or stay at the bottom."

Over time, "I got to a point where I was happy with myself slowly and I felt good about things again, but I thought I'd be alone," says Herjavec, 53. "I thought it was what it was."

For exclusive photos and much more from Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday



Shark Tank's Robert Herjavec Opens Up About Meeting Fiancée Kym Johnson After His Painful Divorce and Suicidal Thoughts: 'It Was Like a Ray of Sunshine'| Engagements, Dancing With the Stars, Shark Tank, Dancing with the Stars, People Picks, TV News, Kym Johnson
Shark Tank's Robert Herjavec Opens Up About Meeting Fiancée Kym Johnson After His Painful Divorce and Suicidal Thoughts: 'It Was Like a Ray of Sunshine'| Engagements, Dancing With the Stars, Shark Tank, Dancing with the Stars, People Picks, TV News, Kym Johnson

Then came Dancing with the Stars – and meeting his future wife-to-be, Johnson, 39. ( The pair got engaged on Feb. 27).

Says Herjavec, "I met Kym, and I was scared. But it was like a ray of sunshine. She made me feel really good about life and myself. And then I realized, 'Oh my God, she's a superhot, sexy Australian! Bonus!' "