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Former ‘Today’ Host Says Working on Show Was Hard on Health, Created Anxiety

Aug 4, 2011  •  Post A Comment

A former host of NBC’s “Today” show revealed some negative effects of working on the show in an interview with Good Housekeeping. Meredith Vieira told the magazine that her health suffered while she worked at "Today" and that the early hours, and resulting lack of sleep, led to anxiety.

"Sleep deprivation is a bad thing. When you’re tired all the time, you just don’t feel well. It’s easy to gain weight; it’s easy to get depressed," Vieira said. "And there’s anxiety. … All of those things really started to weigh on me, and I thought, ‘Is it worth risking my health? I don’t think so. Is it worth altering my lifestyle, particularly with my husband?’"

Vieira’s husband, Richard Cohen, has multiple sclerosis.

Vieira said she got up at 2:30 a.m. to start getting ready for work and get out of the house by 4:30. “It wreaks havoc with your sleep and the rest of your life,” she said.

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