How ABC News Anchor Deborah Roberts, 65, Hit the Lottery Growing Up With Six Sisters

Her new book, ‘Sisters Lost and Treasured,’ celebrates her siblings’ connection through illness, love and loss

As told to

Christina Ianzito,

AARP

Comments

Published October 20, 2025

Deborah Roberts’ new book, “Sisters Loved and Treasured: Stories of Unbreakable Bonds” is an homage to sisterhood, including reflections on her evolving relationship with her six sisters over the years.

Ryan Johnson, Courtesy Penguin Random House

I used to joke that I hit the sister lottery. I grew up in a house in Georgia with four bedrooms, one bathroom and seven girls running around — six sisters and me — plus two brothers. It was loud and chaotic, and we had to kind of duke it out for bathroom time. One of my sisters once said, famously, “We have too many people in this house.” We all laughed at the understatement.

We ran the gamut of personalities and ages. My oldest sister, Annette, was 18 years older than my youngest sister, Belinda, and was in college by the time I was aware of her as part of my sisterhood. After she got married and moved away, she seemed more like an aunt when she came home to visit. She was so stylish — I was dazzled by her fabulous clothes. Belinda was five years younger than me, and I thought she was a spoiled younger sister, while she viewed me as her “know-it-all” older sister.

Our relationships have shifted over time, and we’ve had bumpy periods, but there’s nothing like the people who shared your upbringing — your bunk bed, your clothes, your fights, your secrets. It’s interesting how selective our memories are, though. I remember sneaking clothes from Tina’s closet and her being absolutely furious. She swears she doesn’t remember that. We all have our own versions of the same childhood.

As I grew older, my career took me in different directions, and my sisters scattered, with two in Miami, two in Texas, and two in Georgia. We weren’t always as connected as we could be, and I faulted myself for that. But life happens.

Deborah Roberts’ very crowded childhood home included (from left) Belinda, Deborah, Tina, Janet, Bennie, Annette and brother Jackie, pictured here in the mid-’80s.

Courtesy Deborah Roberts

Harder times

Annette developed early-onset dementia and passed away four years ago. Before that, Janet — my rock — was diagnosed with breast cancer. I occasionally flew to Miami to sit with her during chemo, and, thankfully, she’s thriving now. More recently, Tina, who never smoked a day in her life, was diagnosed with lung cancer. We rallied around her, and when she finished a round of treatment in 2023, we threw a sister slumber party in Georgia. (My brother Jackie came for part of the weekend; he was like an honorary sister.) We had matching pajamas and lots of laughter — it was one of the most special weekends of my life.

I’ll never forget Tina saying, through tears, “I just want to thank you all. This means so much to me.”

We’ve had other heartbreaks. We lost Bennie Ruth years ago to breast cancer, complicated by alcoholism and mental illness — things we didn’t know how to talk about back then. We’ve lost both brothers; Jackie passed away this year, following a stroke. The more you have, the more you can lose. That’s the hard truth. And maybe that’s why we’re hanging on tighter now.

Most Popular

(From left) Sisters Deborah, Tina, Belinda (front, center), Janet and Bonita (far right) united in Atlanta for their 2023 pajama party weekend.

Courtesy Deborah Roberts

Putting in the work

Writing Sisters Loved and Treasured: Stories of Unbreakable Bonds reminded me that relationships don’t just stay strong on their own. You have to do the work: call, text, plan a Zoom meeting, show up. Life gets busy, and if you don’t nurture these bonds, they’ll fade.

When I started interviewing women about their sisters, I realized that even those with just one sister had complicated relationships. Rivalries happen. Misperceptions happen. Sometimes you fight over politics or a parent’s caregiving.

I spoke with journalist Lee Woodruff [65, a frequent contributor to aarp.org on caregiving issues] about how she and her sisters almost lost their relationship dealing with their father’s estate after he passed away. They were sniping and having a hard time. And then they decided, “You know what? We’re not going to lose our relationship over this.” They went to therapy and managed to reconnect with each other.

I interviewed women who admitted, “If we weren’t sisters, we wouldn’t be friends.” That honesty struck me.

Sisterhood stories

I also heard stories that stopped me in my tracks. The last story in my book is about three sisters on Long Island who went to extraordinary lengths for each other: One sister, Jaclyn, was having infertility issues, so her sister Meredith donated an egg, and the third, Stephanie, carried the baby so that Jaclyn could become a mother. I thought to myself, Whoa, talk about sacrifice. Can I see myself or one of my sisters doing that for each other? I don’t know.

The actress Viola Davis, 60, talked to me about growing up with four sisters, who were united in part by violence and dysfunction due to a father who physically abused their mother. Although Viola and her sister Deloris fought constantly (Viola once gave her a bloody nose!), she said her siblings gave her a safe space in that difficult home.

'Sisters Loved and Treasured' includes personal stories of sisterhood from the actress Viola Davis, 60, twins Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush, and many others.

Courtesy Penguin Random House

My sisters were initially nervous about the book, as they are very private people. I promised them this wasn’t a “gotcha” book. It’s a celebration of growth, resilience and love. Now they’re excited. Janet even asked, “Who’s going to play me in the movie?” (There’s no movie, Janet!)

Today, Janet is 71. Tina is 68 and undergoing treatment because her cancer resurfaced. We are all holding her hand and our breath, praying that she goes into remission. I’m 65, Bonita is 63 and Belinda just turned 60. We’ve lived a lot of life together — and apart. We’ve lost, we’ve fought, we’ve laughed until we cried. They’re all coming up to New York to be with me for my book launch. I think that’s important. Their lives inspired it.

Deborah Roberts, 65, is an ABC News correspondent and coanchor of 20/20. Her most recent book is Sisters Loved and Treasured: Stories of Unbreakable Bonds, which features stories of sisterhood from notable figures such as Viola Davis, sisters Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush, and Connie Chung, among many others. She’s married to Al Roker, 71, the journalist and weather anchor on NBC’s Today show.