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Al Roker<\/a> and his wife,\u00a0Deborah Roberts, have been doing a lot of celebrating this year!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The two have been married for over 28 years, and recently had their wedding anniversary as well as Roberts’ birthday to commemorate in September. On top of that, <\/span>Roberts was as announced as the new co-anchor<\/a> of ABC’s\u00a0<\/span>20\/20<\/span><\/em> on Sept. 26, 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n And while the 69-year-old <\/span>Today\u00a0<\/span><\/em>weatherman and the 63-year-old journalist have faced some challenges\u00a0<\/span>due to Roker’s health scares<\/a>, their love story stands the test of time.<\/span><\/p>\n Here’s a look at their romance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n How They Met<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Roker and Roberts first met at <\/span>Today<\/span><\/em> in 1990. “Al was so sweet,” she told <\/span>People <\/span><\/em>in 1999. “He showed me pictures of his daughter and talked about his family.”<\/span><\/p>\n When They Started Dating<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n While they met in 1990, Roker didn’t ask Roberts out until 1992 and only after she asked him to look after her apartment while she was in Barcelona covering the Summer Olympics for NBC.<\/span><\/p>\n “A day before she got back from her trip, I stocked her pantry, I stocked her refrigerator and left some flowers on the table and a note, ‘Welcome home,'” Roker recalled on <\/span>The Kelly Clarkson Show<\/span><\/em> in 2021. “And then I got my first date with her a week later.”<\/span><\/p>\n The Proposal<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Roker proposed on New Year’s Day in 1994.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “Deborah was getting a little annoyed that it hadn’t happened over the holidays. We had a chat, ‘So when will this happen?’ And I said, ‘Before Groundhog Day,'” he told <\/span>People,\u00a0<\/span><\/em>recalling how he proposed at the Grand Canyon. “I thought, what a great place. On the rim of the Grand Canyon. And if she says, ‘No,’ one of us isn’t coming back.”<\/span><\/p>\n Roker and Roberts Marry<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n On Sept. 16, 1995, Roker and Roberts tied the knot at New York City’s St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Barbara Walters and Katie Couric were among the guests.<\/span><\/p>\n In 2020, Roker shared a video to Instagram of his wedding day, writing, “A #happy25thanniversary to @debrobertsabc who helps me a better #father #brother #person and challenges me to do better each and every day. #thankyou and #iloveyou.”<\/span><\/p>\n Their Children<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The two\u00a0are\u00a0parents to 24-year-old daughter Leila and 20-year-old son Nicholas. Roker has another child,\u00a0Courtney, with ex-wife Alice Bell.<\/span><\/p>\n Roker’s Health Battles<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In November 2020, just a few months after celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary, Roker announced that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “It’s a good news\u2013bad news kind of thing,” he said on <\/span>Today<\/span><\/em>. “Good news is we caught it early. Not-great news is that it’s a little aggressive, so I’m going to be taking some time off to take care of this.”<\/span><\/p>\n At the time, he\u00a0shared that Roberts was not at the appointment when he was diagnosed. “I feel badly because I didn’t tell Deborah to come with me,” he noted. “In hindsight, boy I wish I’d told her to come. …She was upset. And once she got past that, the reporter in her kinda took over. And then she’s been at everything ever since.”<\/span><\/p>\n Later that month, Roker underwent surgery with his wife by his side. “Let the healing begin. I am so in awe of this guy and his indomitable spirit. So blessed and grateful for avalanche of love, prayers and support for @alroker #gratitude,” Roberts wrote on Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n After the surgery, Roker announced that he was cancer free.\u00a0“It was this great relief,” he said on <\/span>Today<\/span><\/em>. “For a first start, this is terrific news. I’m going to be up for —\u00a0and a lot of people who live with cancer — up for lifelong testing to make sure this doesn’t come back.”<\/span><\/p>\n In November 2022, Roker faced another health battle when he was hospitalized for blood clots in his legs and lungs. Roberts was again by his side.<\/span><\/p>\n “You are the shining sun and star in our family @alroker Love you so much. Can’t wait til you’re back home and feeling like your old self again,” she posted to Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n Roker was later released from the hospital but ended up being readmitted just after Thanksgiving. After a few more weeks in the hospital, he was able to go home and be with his family for Christmas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “Holiday Hello. #joyful moments filled with #gratitude #health,” Roberts posted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Roker the Romantic<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The weatherman knows how to keep the spark alive in his decades-long marriage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “He’s a real romantic,” Roberts told <\/span>People<\/em><\/a> of her husband in 2021. “When I travel, I open my suitcase and I find one or two notes in there that he’s slipped in, or in my purse. ‘Have a great day. I’m thinking of you.’ Or an Emily Dickinson sonnet or something. And I’m just like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ It just touches me. And he thinks that way all the time.”<\/span><\/p>\n She added, “He does things like he sprinkles little love notes, little cards throughout my life. Sometimes there’s a little card next to the coffee maker that might say something encouraging or sweet or impish or fun.”<\/span><\/p>\n Roker Returns to <\/span>Today<\/span><\/em> With His Wife by His Side<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n On Jan. 6, 2023, Roker made his return to <\/span>Today <\/span><\/em>after months of being off the air, and\u00a0Roberts joined him on the morning show to discuss his health battle.<\/span><\/p>\n “The doctors saved your life, but I think Deborah Roberts also saved your life,” Savannah Guthrie told the couple.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “He is a living, breathing miracle,” Roberts said on <\/span>Today<\/span><\/em>. “He really is, and I have to say —\u00a0I’m not overstating it, I don’t think — Al was a very, very sick man. And I think most people did not know that.”<\/span><\/p>\n She added, “He was a medical mystery for weeks. It was the most tumultuous, frightening journey we have ever been on.”<\/span><\/p>\n Later on Instagram, Roker expressed his gratitude for his wife, writing, “Can\u2019t thank @debrobertsabc enough for getting me through this medical crisis. And now that she\u2019s here at @todayshow maybe she might stay? Just kidding!!”<\/span><\/p>\n Roker Says He ‘Wouldn’t be Alive Without’ Roberts<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In an interview with <\/span>Page Six<\/em><\/a> in March 2023, Roker expressed so much gratitude towards his wife, noting that he was “just so overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and prayers and of course, my wife Deborah. I wouldn\u2019t be alive without her.”<\/span><\/p>\n The weatherman also admitted that he had no idea how close to death he really came. “I guess I know it now,” he shared. “I didn\u2019t know it at the time. Deborah was great at keeping all that away from me so I thought I was doing OK but that was great because I was able to focus on getting better.”<\/span><\/p>\n First-Time Grandparents<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In March 2023, Roker’s daughter,\u00a0Courtney Roker Laga, whom he shares with ex-wife Alice Bell, posted a sweet montage video of herself and her husband, Wesley Laga, on Instagram, showing off their baby’s first sonogram and ultrasound.<\/span><\/p>\n “A new adventure is about to begin \u2764\ufe0f\ud83c\udf7c,” she captioned the clip, which was to the tune of Brent Morgan’s cover of the Mariah Carey hit, “Always Be My Baby.”<\/span><\/p>\n “Here we go!!! So very very happy!!!!! You guys,” the mom-to-be’s dad\u00a0commented, adding, “Going for Pop-Pop.”<\/span><\/p>\n Roberts\u00a0also wrote, “This is so very exciting!!! \ud83d\ude0d\ud83d\ude0d”<\/span><\/p>\n Roberts Gives Health Update on Roker<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In March 2023, <\/span>ET’s Rachel Smith spoke with<\/a> Roberts about her home life and her husband.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “He’s back to driving me crazy,” she joked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This quip is a testament to how far they’ve come since Roker’s serious health scares, where\u00a0Roberts fully embraced the role of caregiver.<\/span><\/p>\n “I think\u00a0a 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 ET. “And I hope I’ll never\u00a0do 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.”<\/span><\/p>\n As for what got her through, Roberts noted,\u00a0“I would say my faith, my spirituality got me through it. 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.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here’s to 28 Years\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Sept. 16, 2023 marked a very special day for Roker and Roberts as they celebrated 28 years of marriage. In honor of the occasion, the weatherman shared a carousel of photos from his and Roberts’ wedding. The carousel also included a family photo of the couple’s three children — Leila, Nicholas, and Courtney; as well as Roker’s daughter with ex-wife Alice Bell. He additionally posted a portrait in the carosel of Roker and Roberts with then-President\u00a0<\/span>Barack Obama<\/a>\u00a0and first lady\u00a0<\/span>Michelle Obama<\/a>, as well as a sweet snapshot of their family posing together outside their home in matching green pajamas.<\/span><\/p>\n “28 years ago, @debrobertsabc promised to be there for better, for worse, thick and thin. Good times and Bad. But the greatest gift is the family she has given me. Happy Anniversary, sweetheart,” Roker captioned the Instagram post.<\/span><\/p>\n