In an emotional interview during her return to ‘Today,’ Sheinelle Jones called the loss of her husband of 17 years a “beautiful nightmare.”
WASHINGTON — “Today” co-host Sheinelle Jones returned to the morning show on Friday for the first time since her husband’s death.
During an emotional interview with Savannah Guthrie, Jones publicly addressed the loss of her husband, Uche Ojeh, for the first time on the air. The 47-year-old has been absent from ‘Today’ since December, with her co-hosts giving periodic updates. In May, the morning show announced Jones’ husband, Ojeh, had died at the age of 45 after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer called Glioblastoma.
“In this moment, I’m okay, day to day, I’m okay,” Jones said. “From a macro picture, how am I doing? My heart is shattered. My heart is shattered in a million pieces. The life that I’ve known since I was 19 is no more. I’ve always wanted kids and I have three kids of my own now and they’ve lost their dad. And I’m their mom. It sucks.”
Jones called the experience “a beautiful nightmare.”
“We would just hold hands, and the nurses would come in, and they would call us the lovebirds. And we would just look at each other, say ‘I love you,’ and hold hands. But that’s what I mean by beautiful nightmare,” Jones explained. “I found beauty in the nightmare.”
“And trust me, it is a nightmare to watch a 45-year-old do two triathlons and live and breathe off of soccer and his kids…to take a guy like that and watch him have to deal with this fight was a nightmare,” she added.
Jones revealed that she kept on working at “Today” for nearly a year while dealing with her husband’s illness behind the scenes. She said she would leave work and go spend time with Ojeh as he underwent chemotherapy treatment.
“And I got to that place where I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, so when I decided to take a leave, that was why — because I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring,” she said.
“And I was starting to feel like I didn’t want to miss it. I didn’t want to look back. I wanted to be strong, and I wanted to look back and know that I was strong. But I didn’t want to be so strong that I missed this blessing right in front of me — that I missed the fight, that I missed the beauty in the fight,” she continued.
Jones and Ojeh would’ve celebrated their 18th anniversary on Sept. 1
She hopes her return to the morning show can help others going through a similar situation.
What kind of cancer did Sheinelle Jones’ husband have?
Glioblastoma is the most common form of brain cancer in adults, and is typically one of the most aggressive types. It is known for its rapid growth and invasion of surrounding brain tissue.
According to ‘Today,’ the couple met at Northwestern University in the late 90s when she offered to show him around campus on a tour. Eight years later, Ojeh proposed on the campus of their alma mater.
The couple have three children: Kayin and twins Uche and Clara.
