Why ‘Good Morning America’ Star Robin Roberts and Wife Amber Laign Live Separately: ‘Not by Choice’

Robin Roberts is shedding light into her private life with her wife, Amber Laign, and why they choose to live separately.

“It’s not for everyone,” Robin, 64, said during a Good Morning America segment on January 22. “Amber and I [live separately], not by choice, but because of the work schedule. But there’s a lot of trust there. And there’s some people from my past I would not have done this with.”

The morning show host lives in a $2.5 million apartment in Manhattan, that features easy access to the Good Morning America studios. Meanwhile, Amber, 50, owns property in the Upper West Side of the city, just 10 minutes away from Robin.

Robin also owns 0.92-acre gorgeous mansion in Farmington, Connecticut, where she legally tied the knot with Amber in 2023 after 18 years of dating. Although Robin usually spends her weekdays living in her city apartment, she admitted her relationship changed with Amber when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and the pair hunkered down together in their Connecticut property.

“We spent more time together this year than in the previous 15 years combined. We’ve never been stronger!” the journalist told People in April 2021. “I remember when I packed up part of my dressing room here [in New York City] and headed home to Connecticut a year ago [when the pandemic started]. I’m glad I packed a lot of patience.”

Robin and Amber first started dating in 2005 after being connected on a blind date. The pair kept their romance a secret until 2013 when the beloved TV came out as a lesbian in a Facebook post.

The couple has supported each other through various health challenges over the years. In February 2022, Robin shared in an Instagram video that Amber had been diagnosed with breast cancer. As a breast cancer survivor herself, the newscaster was committed to standing by Amber throughout her treatment.

“She and I have been together almost 17 years and have helped each other through our challenges like my journey with cancer,” the television anchor said at the time. “It’s my turn now to be there for her like she was for me.”

Amber completed her radiation treatment in July 2022. A few months later, Robin announced that she and Amber planned to tie the knot in a romantic ceremony surrounded by family and friends.

“We’re getting married this year,” she gushed in January 2023. “It was something we had talked about, but we had put it off, she became ill but … it is saying yes to that, and that next chapter.”

Prior to making it down the aisle, Robin shared details of their unconventional engagement.

“Now, looking back, it was pretty fitting for us to not have a down on one knee [proposal] and one person doing it and who was going to propose,” the TV personality said. “It was just us hanging out in our little hole-in-the-wall Mexican spot and putting calamari rings on each other and saying, ‘Let’s go. Let’s do it.’”