Diane Sawyer Exclusive: Gabrielle Giffords to Speak on TV for First Time
Diane Sawyer has landed the first exclusive TV interview with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords after the Arizona lawmaker was shot during a constituent meet-and-greet in January.
Finally ready to open up about the tragic shooting, which left her critically injured and six others dead, Giffords will share her miraculous story with Sawyer on ABC alongside her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, on Nov. 14, according to a press release.
The interview will air as a prime-time special, and in conjunction with the publication of Giffords and Kelly’s memoir, “Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope,” co-written by Jeffrey Zaslow, a Wall Street Journal columnist.
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Giffords, who is still recovering from the Jan. 8 incident, has been a source of inspiration for many.
Though gunman Jared Loughner shot her in the head during a “Congress on Your Corner” event, causing her brain to swell and other damage as well, she put in a strong fight and showed remarkable progress and endurance during the following months.
She was discharged from a hospital in Houston mid-June, beginning the next phase of rehabilitation as an outpatient after doctors found her cognitive abilities and physical strength much improved.
“Gabby gives her all to everything she does and that’s exactly what she’s been doing at TIRR [Memorial Hermann Hospital] since Jan. 26,” Kelly shared previously in a statement.
“The remarkable progress she has made since then is a testament to both her single-minded determination to get better and the team of medical professionals overseeing her care.”
ABC hoped to detail Giffords’ story of strength, hope, and astounding resilience, which had captivated the nation over the past eight months.
Sawyer will chronicle the congresswoman’s step-by-step journey to recovery from her near fatal injury, as well as highlight the couple’s inspiring love story from courtship to marriage.
Kelly and Giffords met in China in 2003 and wed in January 2007. Her husband has been a continual source of optimism and love during the entire recovery process, frequently appearing on television and reporting on his wife’s condition.
Sawyer was in fact the first to speak with Kelly after the shootings as well, though Gifford herself had yet to appear on any televised interviews.
During Kelly’s previous interview, he spoke of his wife’s improving conditions and how she never failed to look out for others even while she was critically injured.
“She’s in the ICU. You know, gone through this traumatic injury. And she spent 10 minutes giving me a neck massage,” Kelly told Sawyer.
“I keep telling her. I’m like, ‘Gabby, you’re in the ICU. You know, you don’t need, you know, you don’t need to be doing this.’ But it’s so typical of her that no matter how bad the situation might be for her, you know, she’s looking out for other people.”
Now, the two will have the opportunity to speak together on the entire ordeal, which has given them much to be thankful for.
The Diane Sawyer special will air on Monday, Nov. 14 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
