A beautiful love story. hello americait is Robin Robert met his longtime girlfriend Amber Laign in July 2005, but the couple did not publicly acknowledge their relationship for nearly a decade.
While reflecting on his recovery from a bone marrow transplant in September 2012 as a treatment for his myelodysplastic syndrome, Roberts gave Laign a sweet shoutout.
“Right now, I am at peace and filled with joy and gratitude. I am grateful to God, my doctors and my nurses for my newfound good health. I am grateful to my sister, Sally-Ann, for being my donor and giving me life. I am grateful to all of my family, my longtime girlfriend, Amber, and my friends as we prepare to celebrate a glorious new year together,” the ABC personality wrote via Facebook in December 2013.
With her relationship out in the open, the Alabama native gushed about her partner during an April 2014 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, revealing that she and the massage therapist met on a blind date. Roberts also explained why the duo kept their romance private for so long.
“She doesn’t really like the spotlight,” she said of Laign. “Not everyone wants to be in the spotlight. She’s very, very supportive and she’s been there behind me every step of the way.
The presenter explained that when she captioned her post-surgery post on Facebook, it felt strange not to include her girlfriend.
“I had thanked my doctors and my nurses [and] my sister who was a perfect match, and deservedly so, and [then] I asked her – I said, ‘I really want to say thank you’,” Roberts shared.
The former college basketball star was able to reciprocate and support Laign when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in late 2021. Roberts shared the news with her followers via Twitter in February 2022.
“My sweet Amber wanted me to tell you something she was dealing with. Late last year, Amber was diagnosed with breast cancer,” the ESPN alum – who herself beat breast cancer in 2008 – said at the time. “She and I have been together for almost 17 years and we have helped each other through our challenges like my journey with cancer. It’s my turn now to be there for her as she was for me.
After enduring their fair share of trials and tribulations together, the duo decided to take their relationship to the next level.
“I say yes to marriage. We are getting married this year,” Roberts told the motivational speaker Gabrielle Bernstein au hello america in January 2023. The Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer added that she and his future wife had already “talked” about getting married, but “delayed” it due to Laign’s breast cancer diagnosis. The California native completed his radiation treatments in July 2022.
Scroll down for a look back at Roberts and Laign’s romance:
Credit: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
Robin Roberts and Amber Laign relationship timeline: From secret romance to wedding plans
A beautiful love story. hello americait is Robin Robert met his longtime girlfriend Amber Laign in July 2005, but the couple did not publicly acknowledge their relationship for nearly a decade. While reflecting on his recovery from a bone marrow transplant in September 2012 as a treatment for his myelodysplastic syndrome, Roberts gave Laign a sweet shoutout. “Right now, I am at peace and filled with joy and gratitude. I am grateful to God, my doctors and my nurses for my newfound good health. I am grateful to my sister, Sally-Ann, for being my donor and giving me life. I am grateful to all of my family, longtime girlfriend Amber, and friends as we prepare to celebrate a glorious new year together,” the ABC personality wrote via Facebook in December 2013. With her relationship in broad daylight, the Alabama native gushed about her partner during an April 2014 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, revealing that she and the massage therapist met on a blind date. Roberts also explained why the duo kept their romance private for so long.
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“She doesn’t really like the spotlight,” she said of Laign. “Not everyone wants to be in the spotlight. She’s very, very supportive and she’s been there behind me every step of the way. The presenter explained that when she captioned her post-surgery post on Facebook, it felt strange not to include her girlfriend. “I had thanked my doctors and my nurses [and] my sister who was a perfect match, and deservedly so, and [then] I asked her – I said, ‘I really want to say thank you’,” Roberts shared. The former college basketball star was able to reciprocate and support Laign when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in late 2021. Roberts shared the news with her followers via Twitter in February 2022. “My sweet Amber wanted me to tell you something she had to deal with. Late last year, Amber was diagnosed with breast cancer,” the former ESPN – who herself beat breast cancer in 2008 – said at the time. “She and I are together for almost 17 years and we have helped each other through our challenges. like my journey with cancer. It’s my turn now to be there for her as she was for me. After enduring their fair share of trials and tribulations together, the duo decided to take their relationship to the next level. “I say yes to marriage. We are getting married this year,” Roberts told the motivational speaker Gabrielle Bernstein au hello america in January 2023. The Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer added that she and his future wife had already “talked” about getting married, but “delayed” it due to Laign’s breast cancer diagnosis. The California native completed his radiation treatments in July 2022. Scroll down to take a look back at Roberts and Laign’s romance:
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July 2005
The couple met on a blind date. Although they’ve shared their relationship status with loved ones, Roberts and Laign have waited years to publicly acknowledge their romance.
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December 2013
While reflecting on his recovery from a bone marrow transplant in September 2012 via Facebook, Roberts thanked his “longtime girlfriend, Amber.” In doing so, she shared her relationship status — and sexual orientation — with the world for the first time.
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avril 2014
Roberts opened up about keeping her relationship private during an appearance on Ellen.
“Not everyone wants to be in the spotlight,” she explained, adding that Laign had been “very, very supportive” throughout her battles with breast cancer and myelodysplastic syndrome.
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November 2015
The duo adopted their dog, Lukas. “Sweet Amber is upset that the dog has more [Instagram] fans than she does,” Roberts joked during a February 2020 appearance on Ellen.
Credit: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
July 2020
Laign shared a photo collage via Instagram in honor of the couple’s 15th anniversary.
“15 years ago I met you for a drink on a blind date that you and I tried to cancel…twice. Your grace caught my eye right away and the sweetness of the evening continued to flow through dinner 😘 We had a second date shortly after and I couldn’t believe how excited I was. comfortable with you as we shared each other’s lives sipping lychees and apple martinis 😳,” she captioned.
The Plant Juice Oils co-founder continued, “You left for Tahiti the next day and during that time apart I developed this feeling in me that is still very much there today…butterflies. Having you by my side is a gift as we continue to navigate this thing called life. I drive you crazy, I know that, that’s why I love you even more to this day.
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February 2022
the old Danger! the host revealed that his partner had been diagnosed with breast cancer several months prior.
“My sweet Amber wanted me to tell you something she was dealing with. Late last year, Amber was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Roberts explained in a video on Twitter. “She had surgery last month and this morning will start chemotherapy.”
Laign completed his radiation treatments in July.
Credit: Courtesy of Robin Roberts/Instagram
January 2023
Roberts revealed during an episode of hello america that she and Laign were planning their nuptials after more than 17 years together.
“I say yes to marriage. We are getting married this year,” she shared.