Al Roker’s wife is getting candid about taking care of the beloved Today show weatherman during her recent life-threatening health crisis.
Deborah Roberts — Roker’s wife of 27 years — recently spoke to Entertainment Tonight about her experience being his caregiver during his hospitalization and recovery from a major 7-hour surgery.
“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 and I never went through anything like this,” she told the outlet. “And I hope I’ll never do it again.”
“But it’s tough,” the 62-year-old continued. “It’s tough. I’m still kind of, I think, recuperating. I’m still kind of tired. I’m still mentally exhausted, 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.”
Roberts, an ABC News’ senior national affairs correspondent and contributing anchor for 20/20, then joked that she knows Roker, 68, is doing well because he’s “back to driving me crazy.” She admitted that during the difficult time, she’s grateful that she could lean on her loved ones.
“I would say my faith, my spirituality got me through it,” she said. “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.”
Starting in early November when he was initially diagnosed with blood clots that moved from his leg to his lungs, Roker was hospitalized twice at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center for nearly 2 weeks at a time.
Roker faced other health issues in the past, including a 2020 prostate cancer diagnosis. But the latest scare brought him close to dying, which terrified Roberts, she told PEOPLE in January.
“I was truly bracing myself to have a talk with the kids about the possibility of losing their father,” said Roberts about their daughter Leila, 24, and son Nick, 20, as well as his daughter Courtney, 35, from his first marriage.
Roker added, “I’m blessed to be alive.”
Looking at Roberts, Roker added, “Without you, I would not be here. There’s no question about that. But here we are.”
