In an intimate conversation with Brooke Shields on the Now What? podcast, Savannah Guthrie delved deep into the pain and grief she's experienced since the untimely death of her father, Charles Guthrie.
Savannah's reflections illuminated not only her personal journey but also how life’s trials can unexpectedly shape our destinies.
Savannah, a cornerstone of The Today Show, cast her memory back to when she was a teenager, navigating the complexities of her dad's health.
“I was 13, still grappling with high school, when my father had his first heart attack. To be honest, I didn't truly understand the gravity of it back then," she shared.
However, it was only three years later when tragedy struck again, this time taking Charles away from her.
More than 30 years have since passed, but the grief, Savannah revealed, is as present as ever. She metaphorically shared: “Grief, to me, feels like a cup of water that I was handed at a young age.
“Sometimes it pours out in torrents, sometimes just a sprinkle, but it's something I'll carry till my last day. This grief doesn't overshadow my happiness or joy but has become a part of who I am.”
The journalist, who hails from Arizona and grew up alongside her siblings, Camron and Annie, acknowledged that her father's death had altered her, made her "more serious internally."
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It granted her a kind of wisdom, a painful understanding of life that many of her peers didn’t have.
Savannah, now a New York City resident, lives with her husband, Mike Feldman, and their children, Vale, eight, and Charley, six. The latter, poignantly named after her late father, serves as a touching tribute to the man who shaped so much of her life.
As she continued her conversation with Brooke, Savannah pondered how this loss might have unconsciously nudged her toward her illustrious career in journalism.
"I sometimes wonder if the trajectory of my life would have been different if my father had lived. Perhaps, I would've never left home or chosen this career. But one thing I am certain of is that this heartbreak made my heart more tender.”
Despite the pain, Savannah never shies away from cherishing her father's memory, paying tribute to him on special occasions. Alongside, she also shares a close bond with her mother, Nancy Guthrie, who turned 81 this January. Savannah spoke of how her mother's unwavering support has been instrumental in her life.
Recalling a touching memory from her past, Savannah mentioned her decision to move to Montana for her first newsroom job at 21.
She said: “Living at home through college was partly due to financial constraints, but also because my sister and I wanted to be there for our mom."
When the time came to relocate for her job, it was her mother who became her pillar of strength. Nancy told her: “If you can’t leave me, then I didn’t do my job right, Savannah.”
With a glint of admiration, Savannah added: “She always wanted me close, but more than that, she wanted me to chase my dreams. And she was there, cheering, saying, ‘Go, go, go!’”