From her role as a special correspondent for Today to her hosting duties on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, plus her upcoming gig on Rock Center with Brian Williams, the “R” word doesn’t seem to be part of Vieria’s vocabulary.
“It’s funny. When I left Today and people asked me what retirement was like, I said, ‘What are you talking about? I’m not retired!'” she told Parade.com.
The mom of three children — Ben, 22, Gabriel, 20, and Lily, 18 , talked to Parade.com about life after the Today show and how she’s enjoying more time with her husband, Richard Cohen, who has been battling multiple sclerosis.
On embracing the empty nest…
“I sometimes feel guilty saying it, but I think the empty nest is great! We did our job, as my husband points out repeatedly. You’re supposed to give your children roots and wings, and their roots are firmly planted in the ground and they have a sense of themselves and of place and purpose. They have the ability to fly away from home and to test those wings and to start their own lives separate from us. The fact that our three kids are launched, so to speak, and seem to be very happy, young people, makes me feel good about what we accomplished. That is the goal, and I feel we accomplished it — knock on wood!”
She’s looking forward to one-on-one time with her husband…
“It’s time for us to sort of recapture our lives and enjoy it and I look forward to that. I had a lovely summer and I look forward to doing more things with Richard. I miss my kids tremendously, but I also love when they come back and we’re able to sit there with a glass of wine and talk about politics or whatever else is going on in their life, and I see these young people and I go, ‘Wow, these are nicely baked kids!'”
On how she keeps her personal life and marriage strong despite a hectic schedule..
“If you look at my career path, it’s been always about prioritizing. I don’t believe that you can have it all. You have to set priorities for yourself. I’ve always felt that family was the most important thing. That’s not a putdown of people who work very hard and are juggling very high-pressure jobs, but you have to figure out what works best for you, and for me, that meant switching off different jobs through the course of my career to find ones that provide better balance for me. I think it is all about balance and juggling and also maintaining a certain sense of humor along the way and knowing that if you drop a ball here or there, it’s OK, you’re human. You have to take the time to really assess where you are in life. I really believe in following your heart.”
On life post-Today…
“It’s a little bittersweet. I miss my friends a lot, but I love my schedule now. It’s a lot easier when you’re getting some sleep. I get into pj’s with a book in my hand and I know I don’t have to get up two hours later to do the show, so that’s very nice.”
More on from Vieira about her new gig on Rock Center, plans for 2012 and what she likes to do during her downtime:
http://www.parade.com/