Early life

grew up in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where she played basketball and tennis, among other sports. She attended Pass Christian High School and graduated as the class of 1979 salutatorian. Her parents are Lawrence and Lucimarian Roberts. She is the youngest of four children with siblings Sally-Ann, Lawrence "Butch", and Dorothy. Her father was a pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen.

Education

Roberts attended Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana, graduating cum laude in 1983 with a degree in communications. She followed in the footsteps of older sister Sally-Ann Roberts, an anchor at the CBS affiliate WWL in New Orleans.

Roberts noted on the January 13, 2007, edition of Costas on the Radio that she was offered a scholarship to play basketball at Louisiana State University but thought the school too big and impersonal after visiting the campus. On her way back to Pass Christian from that visit, she saw a road sign for Southeastern Louisiana University, stopped to visit and decided to enroll. The only scholarship left was a tennis scholarship, and she was promised that there would be a journalism scholarship by the time she would graduate. She went on to become a standout performer on the women's basketball team, ending her career as the school's third all-time leading scorer (1,446 points) and rebounder (1,034). She is one of the only three Lady Lions to score 1,000 career points and grab 1,000 career rebounds. During her senior season, she averaged a career-high 15.2 points per game.

Broadcasting career

Roberts began her career in 1983 as a sports anchor and reporter for WDAM-TV in Hattiesburg, Mississippi . In 1984, she moved to WLOX-TV in Biloxi, Mississippi.In 1986, she was sports anchor and reporter for WSMV-TV in Nashville, Tennessee . She was also a sports anchor and reporter at WAGA-TV in Atlanta, Georgia, from 1988-1990. She was also a radio host for radio station V103 while in Atlanta.

ESPN and ABC News

She joined ESPN as a sportscaster in February 1990 and became well known on Sportscenter for her catchphrase, "Go on with your bad self!". Roberts began to work for ABC News, specifically as a featured reporter, for Good Morning America in June 1995.

In 2001, Roberts received the Mel Greenberg Media Award, presented by the WBCA.

For many years, Roberts worked at both ESPN and Good Morning America, contributing to both programs. During that time, she served primarily as the news anchor at GMA. In 2005, Roberts was promoted to co-anchor of Good Morning America.

In the fall of 2005, she anchored a series of emotional reports from the Mississippi Gulf Coast after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina; her hometown of Pass Christian was especially hard hit, with her old high school completely reduced to rubble.

On February 22, 2009, she hosted the Academy Awards preshow for ABC.

Roberts has earned three Emmy Awards for her sportscasting work at ESPN.

On May 30, 2010 Roberts will drive the Pace Car for the 2010 Indianapolis 500.

Health status

On July 31, 2007, Roberts announced during the live broadcast of Good Morning America that she had been diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer. She noticed a lump through self-examination the day they were working on Joel Siegel's farewell on Good Morning America (Siegel died from colon cancer). Roberts underwent surgery on August 3, and on August 9, ABC News announced she was planning to return to the anchor desk on August 13.

Roberts announced on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show on September 5, 2007, that she was healthier now than before the cancer but still faces future treatment. She also revealed that a mammogram did not detect her cancer but a follow-up ultrasound did.

Roberts shaved her head during chemotherapy treatment. She wore a wig on Good Morning America because she "didn't want to distract viewers from the news." On April 21, 2008, Roberts stopped wearing the wig.

In early 2007 Roberts published a book, From the Heart: Seven Rules to Live By, of which she said, "I'm a big believer that you have to put yourself in position for good things to happen to you..."

As of January 10, 2008, Roberts had completed her eight chemotherapy treatments. She then had 6 1/2 weeks of radiation treatment, which was completed as of March 28, 2008.