Al Roker Reveals 'Aggressive' Prostate Cancer Diagnosis — Meet Deborah Roberts, His Wife Who's Standing By His Side
Sad news for Al Roker.
YouTube Al Roker revealed some devastating news about his health on Nov. 6.
The longtime journalist appeared on the Today Show and shared that he has been diagnosed with an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer.
"Good news is we caught it earlier. Not great news is that it's a little aggressive. I'm going to be taking some time off to take care of this," he said.
Al Roker has been a fixture on NBC's Today show for more than 20 years. He's been at NBC since 1978 when he got hired at the Cleveland NBC station, and he's been married to fellow journalist Deborah Roberts since 1995.
Who is Al Roker's wife, Deborah Roberts?
Read on to find out everything you need to know about Deborah Roberts.
When did Al Roker and Deborah Roberts meet?
Al Roker met Deborah Roberts in 1990 when she joined NBC as a general assignment reporter.
Soon after she started, Roker took her to lunch.
She thought he was a nice guy, but that was it. Roberts was soon transferred to Miami and then Atlanta, but they kept in touch.
In 1992, Roberts was transferred back to New York to work as a correspondent on Dateline NBC. By that time, Roker was divorced.
She thought he was just a friend.
Roberts saw Roker only as a friend at first. Roker showed up for her in a big way over the next few years.
He would surprise her with flowers.
Once he had her fridge filled with food when she returned from covering the Olympics in Barcelona. Then, on New Year's Day 1994, Roker proposed to Roberts on the rim of the Grand Canyon.
When did Al Roker and Deborah Roberts get married?
Al and Deborah got married in September 1995 in New York City.
That same year, Roberts moved to ABC News to become a correspondent for 20/20. Today, she works for 20/20, Good Morning America, World News Tonight and Nightline.
Who are Al Roker and Deborah Roberts' kids?
In 1998, Al and Deborah had their first child, a girl named Leila Ruth after a long struggle with fertility issues.
She was conceived using in vitro fertilization. Their son Nick was born in 2002.
She chose her family over her career.
Right around the time that Roberts had Leila, ABC offered her the newsperson's job on Good Morning America.
That was rough because Al was already working mornings. Roberts ended up passing on that career move to care for Leila.
Roker has admitted that he feels guilty that Roberts had to make that sacrifice in her career.
She inspired his weight loss.
In 2002, Roker underwent gastric bypass surgery and ultimately lost 160 pounds.
Roberts is an athletic person and Roker's weight and unhealthy choices were becoming a big issue in their marriage.
At the time, he wrote, "She was upset about it, she was frustrated, she was angry. She thought, 'Why don't you care enough about yourself and why don't you care about me and our relationship enough to change?' And I said, 'Look, it's not about you. It's about me.'"
After the weight loss, Roker began to run with Roberts and eventually completed the New York City Marathon.
She's standing by Al Roker's side during his cancer battle.
Of course she is!
On Twitter, Roberts wrote, "As many of you now know my hubby is battling prostate cancer. We are prayerful and hopeful he will be fine. Thanks for all the kind words, prayers and positivity."
What is Al Roker's net worth?
Al Roker is reportedly worth around $70 million.
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based freelance writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. She is deeply devoted to her chocolate Labrador and an avid long distance runner. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.