When Al Roker was hospitalized late last year, he had many fans and Today coworkers watching out for him, but no one was a larger supporter and caretaker than his wife, Deborah Roberts.
The beloved weatherman suffered a life-threatening health crisis last year owing to blood clots in his lungs, which caused him to miss Today – which he has been a part of for nearly thirty years – as well as be in and out of the hospital from late November until January 6th, 2023.
Except for his approaching knee replacement surgery, he has his health back and is back on Today, but his wife of 27 years can’t help but notice that they are still suffering from the traumatic moment.
Deborah, an ABC News news anchor, talked about her job as her husband’s caretaker in an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the premiere of Brooke Shields’ documentary, Beautiful Baby.
“I believe a lot of people don’t realize – and I never realized – that being a caretaker is incredibly draining, exhausting, terrifying, all of those things,” she explained.
“I never went through anything like this,” the journalist said, adding, “and I pray I never do it again.”
“But it’s terrible,” she continued, explaining that while Al is in much better form, it has been challenging to move past the dark period: “I’m still kind of, I believe, healing. I’m still exhausted. I’m still mentally tired.”
“But you know what, I’m glad and just trying to revel at the moment and be pleased that he’s okay and we’re all fine,” she added.
Fortunately for Deborah, not only is Al “back to driving me insane,” but she also has a beautiful support system. When asked how she got through her husband’s health scare, she answered, “I would say my faith, my spirituality helped me through it.”
“My family helped me get through it, and my coworkers helped me get through it. Colleagues, many of whom are present now, encouraged me when I felt I couldn’t go on. People were present, texting, emailing, and calling, which made all the difference.”
