The beloved 68-year-old weatherman spent time in the hospital near the end of 2022.
Al Roker is back to his old shenanigans: driving his wife of nearly 30 years crazy. Deborah Roberts wouldn't have it any other way, but the road back to a sense of normalcy and without the health scares was tough, if not painful.
Speaking with ET's Rachel Smith on Wednesday at the premiere for the new Netflix documentary, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, in New York City, the 62-year-old ABC News journalist opened up about what life's been like since the beloved Today show weatherman returned to the airwaves following long stints in the hospital late last year due to blood clots in his leg that ultimately veered to his lungs.
After more than two months away from the morning show, Roker made his triumphant return on Jan. 6, when he and Roberts sat down and revealed he was "very, very, very sick" and that his mere presence in the studio was major because he proved to be "a living, breathing miracle."
Nearly three months since his return to the Today show, Roberts tells ET that Roker's back to his old self.
"He's back to driving me crazy," she quipped.
That she can joke about it now is a testament to how far they've come since Roker's serious health scares. But he was hardly alone in this fight. Roberts fully embraced the role of caregiver, never mind that she didn't come away from the daunting role unscathed.
"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 tells ET. "And I hope I'll never do it again. But it's tough. 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 says she leaned on her faith in God to guide her in those trying times. Her spirituality, coupled with support from family, friends and colleagues at work, was also proof that Roberts wasn't in this alone, and she couldn't be more grateful.
"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."
RELATED CONTENT:
