Shutterstock Amy LamareMeredith Vieira is certainly one of the most recognizable faces on TV. From her years on "Today" and "Good Morning America" to internet hosting recreation shows like "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" and "25 Words or Less" — to not mention her unforgettable instances on "The View" and her personal talk display — Vieira has been a likable presence in our homes for many years.
Throughout all of the ones career accomplishments, she's had her husband Richard Cohen through her facet for 35 years. According to Good Housekeeping, Vieira and Cohen met in 1983, when she was with CBS News' Midwest division. Cohen, who used to be additionally operating as a journalist for CBS News, specialized in politics and was once in Chicago protecting the Illinois gubernatorial race. Vieira actually thought Cohen was "so obnoxious" to start with, in keeping with the outlet.
Despite that, Meredith used to be lovely sure she was going to marry him from that first second. In an interview on "The Dr. Oz Show" in 2018, she stated, "I looked at him and I thought, 'You are such a jerk,' and the next thought was 'I'm going to marry this guy.'"
Cohen, alternatively, had to make sure Vieira could settle for one large factor about his well being.
Richard Cohen was identified with MS at 25
Cindy Ord/Getty ImagesWhen Meredith Vieira met Richard Cohen in 1983, he was 35 and had been living with a couple of sclerosis for a decade. MS is a "potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system)," in line with the Mayo Clinic.
Cohen told Vieira about his MS on their 2nd date. He joked, in keeping with AARP, that if the truth that he had MS was once going to be an excessive amount of for her, "Why waste money on dessert?" Needless to mention, it wasn't a subject matter for Vieira; she used to be all in. As Cohen informed the hole, he didn't need any individual he labored with to understand he had MS because he used to be anxious how it could impact his career.
Vieira didn't in finding it simple to keep his diagnosis a secret, particularly in the way it presented itself. She advised AARP that individuals referred to as him a snob, saying, "'I'll walk by him and he never acknowledges me.'" "My God, he can't see you," she thought.
The couple married in 1986 and feature 3 grown kids: Benjamin, Gabriel, and Lily. Over the years, Cohen additionally handled colon most cancers in 1999 and 2000, per ABC News.
Despite the well being struggles, the couple maintains a playful dating. "I've pretty much made fun of him all the time," Vieira said. "Because that's the kind of relationship we have. We poke fun at each other."
How Meredith and Richard handled COVID-19
Michael N. Todaro/Getty ImagesWhen the COVID-19 pandemic compelled us all to stick within our homes, Meredith and Richard holed up of their New York home beginning in March 2020. Their children are unfold out across the country, so the longtime couple had widespread Zoom chats and day-to-day phone calls to stay in contact, she advised Closer in August 2020.
The Vieira/Cohen family had some scares with COVID-19. Their eldest son, Ben, and his girlfriend reduced in size the virus in February 2020. "[Ben] had a fever, but he was very lucky — he never needed any hospitalization or anything like that," Vieira told Closer. "And he has since, for a while, tested negative and has been able to donate blood and plasma, so that has been a great thing to be able to give back."
Vieira and Cohen's center kid, Gabriel, used to be also suffering from coronavirus. He and his fiancée, Ally, were making plans to get married in September 2020 — but, as Vieira said (by the use of Closer), "... they had to postpone that a year. They didn't want it hanging over their [heads] and they didn't want to put anybody else in danger," she defined. "I have to say, my kids have taken this very, very, very seriously."
How is Richard Cohen's health these days?
Santiago Felipe/Getty ImagesAs for Richard Cohen's MS, it's a modern disease. In his 2011 interview AARP, he revealed he is "slowly losing his balance, eyesight, and strength." Meredith Vieira opened as much as People in 2019, pronouncing, "We definitely allow each other to vent. That's part of the deal. Certainly, he's allowed to vent because he's got chronic illness." She also famous: "But I am too. Because there are days I can't stand it and the limitations it puts on the entire family. It's good to say it. But we don't dwell. She added: "You can think, 'Why us?' however then it is like, 'Why not us?' So many people are coping with stuff and it puts it into point of view."
Cohen is legally blind at this point, the talk show host told People. But he's "doing ok," Vieira said. "But it is a revolutionary illness, so you do not know from everyday. He needs a walker, and because he's been using it, he is a lot more potent. It used to be one thing he dreaded, however it is been a blessing."
"Being with Richard and appreciating my existence and what kind of I worth my life and the lives of all of the ones around us," she said, via Closer.
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