Four months ago Robin Roberts made the decision to come out of the closet after a health scare led her to be more frank about her life.
Now the Good Morning America host has shared more about her relationship with girlfriend Amber Laign and their life together at an appearance on Tuesday’s The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
“We met on a blind date, it will be nine years in July,” Roberts said of her massage therapist girlfriend, who she says was her rock after she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome.
After telling DeGeneres that Laine was backstage and didn’t want to appear on the show, she shared a photo taken of the couple on her 53rd birthday last November.
“This is where I’m taking one for the team,” said Roberts. “She photographed much better in this picture than I did. But I said, ‘You know what? I’m going use this picture because you look so doggone good.’”
The 54-year-old Roberts told Degeneres they don’t live together, and said Laign tries to stay out of the limelight.
“Not everyone wants to be in the spotlight,” said Roberts. “She’s very, very supportive and she’s been right there beside me every step of the way.”
The cancer survivor said that it was Laign’s support during her health scare that ultimately led her to decide to come out last December in a Facebook post.
“I had been thanking my doctors and nurses, my sister, who was a perfect match — and rightfully so. I asked [Laign], I said, ‘I really want to say thank you.’”
Her post thanking “my long time girlfriend, Amber” led to headlines, and a month later, Roberts shared a photo of them with her GMA family.
Roberts talked about her memoir, Everybody’s Got Something, which includes details about their relationship and the struggles the two faced during Robert’s health crisis.
“In the book, she takes the caregiver’s point of view and it’s really funny that sometimes we didn’t see the same thing eye to eye,” Roberts said. “I thought it was very powerful for people because there’s so many that care for their loved ones. So to see her side of it and to see my side of it was pretty interesting.”
Roberts also thanked DeGeneres for being a “trailblazer,” giving others the courage to come out without fear.
“You have helped a lot of people like myself to have that discussion with their families because you are so well respected and loved and it’s really helped a lot of us and I thank you for that.”
Roberts says her health is good these days, and she’s “strong like a bull.”
She added, “I have never been this happy nor healthy in such a long time.”
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