Nick Cannon says his children are "everything" to him.

The TV host has nine-month-old twins Monroe and Moroccan with wife Mariah Carey.

Nick was hospitalised over the holidays for mild kidney failure. His illness has made him appreciate his family more than ever.

"Right now my kids are everything they're always going to be everything, but when something like this happens to you, everything else is shut out and you're just focused on them," he told MTV News.

"So every second you just notice so many things ... it just makes it so much more poignant. I love everything that they do and just want to be a part of everything."

Spending time in hospital made Nick think about the things most important in his life. The star is grateful to still be alive, and is looking to the future with his family.

"There's a second where you're thinking, 'What if I'm not able to instill the things I want to instill into my children?' It just makes you think, like, 'I need to give them everything I could possibly give them right now,' and obviously it starts with love,'" he gushed.

Nick recently revealed that he has embarked on a strict diet in order to regain his health.

"I'm feeling good, I'm in the office, I'm grinding, the only thing that sucks is that I'm on the renal diet. It's all about healthy living and fuelling your system, but I don't get to eat the things that I like to eat. You've got to stay hydrated and [eat] fruits and vegetables for breakfast," he said.

"Right now I'm still on the strict diet and I can't have any sodium, but as a couple of weeks go by and everything gets levelled out, then I can start having low sodium."