Al Roker had droves of fans – plus his Today colleagues – looking out for him when he was hospitalized late last year, but no one was a bigger supporter and caregiver than his wife, Deborah Roberts.
The beloved weatherman had a life-threatening health scare due to blood clots in his lungs at the end of last year, which had him missing from Today – of which he has been a part of for nearly thirty years – plus in and out of the hospital from late November until January 6th, 2023.
Now he has his health back – with the exception of an upcoming knee replacement surgery – and is back on Today, but his wife of 27 years can't help but note that they are still reeling from the difficult period.
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Speaking with Entertainment Tonight at the premiere of Brooke Shields' documentary, Pretty Baby, Deborah, who is a news anchor herself for ABC News, opened up about her role as her husband's caregiver.
She said: "I think a lot of people don't realize that – and I never realized that – that being a caregiver is really taxing, exhausting, frightening, all of those things."
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The journalist noted: "I never went through anything like this," adding that: "And I hope I'll never do it again."
She continued: "But it's tough," and, detailing how while Al is in much better shape, it nonetheless has been difficult to move past the dark period, she said: "I'm still kind of, I think, recuperating. I'm still kind of tired. I'm still mentally exhausted."
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However, she further said: "But you know what, I'm grateful and just trying to just bask in the moment and just be happy that he's well, and we're all well."
Luckily for Deborah, not only is Al "back to driving me crazy," but she too has a great support system, and speaking of how she herself got through her husband's health scare, she said: "I would say my faith, my spirituality got me through it.
"My family got me through it, my colleagues got me through it. Colleagues, many of whom are here today, lifted me up in times when I felt like I just couldn't make it. People were there, and texting and emailing and calling, and that made all the difference."
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