When Al Roker met Deborah Roberts in 1990, he was married to his former wife, Alice Bell. He later divorced Bell in 1992 after a decade-long marriage. About their backstage meeting at the “Today” show, Roberts recalled to People, “Al was so sweet. He showed me pictures of his daughter and talked about his family.” So, she firmly relegated our guy to the friend zone. Roberts had designated Roker as her pal, and he would have to work hard to establish himself as a contender for her heart.
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The loved-up couple appeared on “The Rachael Ray Show” and spoke about the rather lukewarm start of their relationship. Roker shared, “I thought she was beautiful, and she thought that I was taking up space.” So, when Roberts had to cover the Olympics for work, she asked him to take care of her apartment while she was abroad. He continued, “We were friends, so I was safe you know.” Roker confirmed he was in the friend zone, saying, “It’s like being in the phantom zone.” He told Ray that his future wife just wanted him to look after certain things while she was away. Roker revealed, “I was plant boy.” However, the weather guru’s actions took her by storm when he used the apartment-sitting gig to his advantage.
