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Jean Trebek Opens Up about Marriage & Calls Late Husband Alex Trebek Her 'Most Beloved Friend'

Junie Sihlangu
Oct 09, 2021
07:30 A.M.

Alex Trebek's widow, Jean Trebek, got a chance to speak about her late husband in a new interview. She revealed some secrets about how they managed to stay together so long.

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Jean Trebek, 58, was interviewed by The Eden Magazine for their October 2021 issue. One of the topics she spoke about was her long marriage to her late husband and "Jeopardy!" host, Alex Trebek.

The longtime host sadly passed away at age 80 on November 8, 2020, from cancer. Jean is still dealing with the grief of losing her dear husband almost a year after he passed on.

Alex Trebek and Jean Currivan Trebek at the opening of "Jackie Mason" on May 30, 1990, at the Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, California | Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty Images

Alex Trebek and Jean Currivan Trebek at the opening of "Jackie Mason" on May 30, 1990, at the Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, California | Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty Images

The television personality's wife described him lovingly as her "most beloved friend." She confessed she didn't realize how Alex impacted the world until he went public with his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

Jean also confessed their relationship wasn't always smooth sailing as they had their good days and bad ones. However, they remained very close through it all and experienced everything together.

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Alex Trebek and Jean Currivan Trebek at the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on April 26, 2015, in Burbank, California | Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images

Alex Trebek and Jean Currivan Trebek at the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on April 26, 2015, in Burbank, California | Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images

The Reiki Master also shared how her husband had preferred keeping his personal and professional lives separate. The only time they bridged that gap was when they made public appearances together.

Jean recalled how her game show host husband had preferred being at home. The only time they went out was when the couple, who had been together for 30 years, saw a film or spoiled themselves with a dinner date.

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The rarity of their public outings meant the professional sound healer was never aware how popular Alex was. The New York native only realized he was widely adored after his cancer diagnosis. She said they would get "cartons of mail every day" from her husband's fans after disclosing his diagnosis.

In the privacy of their marriage, Jean confessed she only saw her husband as her equal and partner and thought they were an ordinary couple. Alex was just her husband when he was at home, and he could be himself without her seeing him as some celebrity.

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Jean and Alex met in 1988 when the star had been hosting his show for four years. His future wife worked as a part-time bookkeeper for one of Alex's friends. The couple eventually married in 1990 and had two children, daughter Emily and son Matthew.

The first exclusive interview the religious science practitioner gave after her husband died was with Savannah Guthrie. She confessed to Guthrie that she was well but had moments where she was overwhelmed by grief.

Jean also confessed that she missed her husband a lot. She said one of Alex's blessings was to witness the outpouring of admiration and love because of what he gave to the world.

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