Savannah Guthrie is finally back at the Today show. The TV host, 48, was side-lined after she underwent emergency eye surgery in December to save her vision.
On Monday, January 7, Savannah sat down behind the desk at Studio 1A with Hoda Kotb for the first time in 2020. The anchor told viewers, “When I say ‘Good to see you,’ I really mean it.” Hoda, 55, added, “I gotta tell you, it feels so good to have you sitting right here.”
Hoda pointed out that it was Savannah’s first time back behind the desk, but not her first time working. Over the weekend she interviewed Tom Hanks for the show before he received a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes.
Savannah suffered a detached retina after a freak accident in November. Her son Charley, 3, hit her in the eye with his toy train. She was originally hoping to avoid major surgery so she could continue hosting Today unimpeded.
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Every day after filming, she would go to the doctor’s office for a less invasive laser surgery that would slowly repair the damage. The goal was to avoid traditional reattachment surgery, which has a grueling recovery. Patients must sit “facedown” for hours a day.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
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But on December 11, her vision went from blurry to dark and avoiding surgery became impossible.
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“The retinal tear had deteriorated sharply, and I lost my vision,” she explained last month. “And that’s what happens if you don’t fix this: You lose your sight.”
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Surgery went well, but then she had to worry about healing up. “It’s uniquely challenging, this recovery,” she explained. “Your body starts hurting in different places, lying down like that.”
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The experience was made more complicated by her mom duties for Charley and daughter Vale, 5.
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But in the end, she wanted to make sure Charley didn’t blame himself for what happened. “He’s a little boy. He didn’t mean to do that,” Savannah said. “He got a two-minute time out and that’s it. I would never want him to feel responsible.”
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She was originally hoping to return to the NBC morning program before Christmas, but she didn’t heal fast enough. She explained that her face was also heavily bruised after the surgery.
Every day after filming, she would go to the doctor’s office for a less invasive laser surgery that would slowly repair the damage. The goal was to avoid traditional reattachment surgery, which has a grueling recovery. Patients must sit “facedown” for hours a day.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
But on December 11, her vision went from blurry to dark and avoiding surgery became impossible.
“The retinal tear had deteriorated sharply, and I lost my vision,” she explained last month. “And that’s what happens if you don’t fix this: You lose your sight.”
Surgery went well, but then she had to worry about healing up. “It’s uniquely challenging, this recovery,” she explained. “Your body starts hurting in different places, lying down like that.”
The experience was made more complicated by her mom duties for Charley and daughter Vale, 5.
But in the end, she wanted to make sure Charley didn’t blame himself for what happened. “He’s a little boy. He didn’t mean to do that,” Savannah said. “He got a two-minute time out and that’s it. I would never want him to feel responsible.”
She was originally hoping to return to the NBC morning program before Christmas, but she didn’t heal fast enough. She explained that her face was also heavily bruised after the surgery.
