Al Roker and his wife, Deborah Roberts, broke the news of his prostate cancer diagnosis to their kids by way of Zoom. The celebrity couple opens up exclusively to PEOPLE about their reaction to the life-changing news.
“It was a gut check,” Roker reveals. “My heart just sank to my toes,” Deborah Roberts adds. “I love this man,” the senior national affairs correspondent for ABC News shares.
“When you first hear someone say, ‘You have cancer,’ you’re like, ‘Wait, what? Are you serious?’ The good news is they caught it early,” Al Roker reveals. “So it makes you grateful for life.”
TODAY fans were devastated to learn that Al Roker was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year. Before telling the public about his diagnosis, Roker and his wife sat down with their kids – Courtney, Leila, and Nicholas – to share the news.
“We just decided to have a family Zoom,” Roker reveals. “It was difficult, there were tears, but they rallied around,” the celebrity father shares of the support he received. “And we kept stressing to them we’re all in this together — your dad’s going to be fine.”
Al Roker took three months away from the public sphere to undergo surgery and recover. The veteran journalist is currently in remission.
“Knowing that Deborah was there was the greatest source of comfort,” Roker tells PEOPLE. “At the end of the day, I love us, and I’m determined to cheer us on and be there for us,” Roberts shares. “You cherish and you clutch and you hold on.”
You can read Al Roker and Debora Roberts’ love story in PEOPLE magazine’s first-ever edition dedicated to love. Pick up a copy at your local newsstand on Friday (Feb. 12).
Photo: Getty Images
