Deborah Roberts, wife of Today co-host Al Roker, is opening up about a moment in her journalism career when things didn’t go according to plan.

Roberts, 64, spoke to PEOPLE exclusively while attending the 46th Annual News Emmy Awards in New York City, where she was inducted into the Silver Circle Honor Society — an accolade that recognizes television professionals with at least 25 years of distinguished service to the industry.

During the conversation, Roberts said that she has ultimately grown the most from moments of failure.

“Some of the [most] critical moments have been moments where I fell on my face and I blew it,” she told PEOPLE, before recounting one such experience.

“There was a time when I started out in the business where I was helping another reporter, and one person would carry the camera. One person would carry the tripod. And I was helping her with the buttons, and I hit the wrong button for the interview for rolling, and the other opposite button for stopping. And I pretty much ruined the interview,” she recalled.

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“The good news is I dusted myself off, got back up and kept going,” she continued. “And I think that's been my mantra in this business. We all make mistakes. We're all going to fail. You have to get started somewhere.”

Roberts went on to say that “if you have a passion for it” then you must “keep doing it,” despite the bumps along the way.

The 20/20 co-anchor also revealed that she was “shocked” when she initially heard she would be receiving the major honor. 

“I was in my office, and I got a call from somebody who's related, who's a part of the academy, and I was shocked. I mean, I didn't even realize they did this particular honor. And so I was in my office, and I was really pleasantly surprised — and shocked and honored,” she said.

“And I have to say, I think privately I was not going to make a big deal of the fact that I've been in [this industry] more than 25 years. But you know what? It's a real journey, and it's an honor to be recognized for,” she told PEOPLE.

Roberts, who has been married to Roker since 1995, has been with ABC News for 30 years. During her long tenure at the network, she has reported for Nightline, Good Morning America and World News Tonight and has been a guest co-host on The View.

Roberts won the prestigious Peabody Award in 2021 for her 20/20 special Say Her Name: Breonna Taylor, per her bio. 

In 2023, she followed in the footsteps of one of her heroes, Barbara Walters, becoming a co-anchor on the long-running investigative news series 20/20.

In addition to her broadcast work, Roberts has written two books: Lessons Learned and Cherished: The Teacher Who Changed My Life in 2023, and Sisters Loved and Treasured: Stories of Unbreakable Bonds, out in October 2025. 

She also co-authored a book with her husband, 2016's Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom for Modern Times.