Katie Couric is reflecting on her “biggest regret” after caring for her late husband before his death nearly 30 years ago.

The renowned broadcast journalist’s husband Jay Monahan, whom she shares two daughters with, died on Jan. 24, 1998, at the age of 42 from colorectal cancer while Couric was a host of the “Today” show.

“My biggest regret, I think, was that I never really talked to my husband about the possibility that he might die, quite frankly. We never had those hard conversations,” she said in a recent USA Today interview.

Noting how shocking Monahan’s diagnosis was at the time, the former NBC host, 69, shared that she wishes she and her late husband would’ve spoken with a counselor during the difficult time.

“I wish we had gone to talk to somebody who could have helped facilitate that kind of conversation, honestly, because the only way I knew to deal with Jay’s illness was to not give up hope and keep saying, ‘We’ll figure this out.’”

Couric went on to say that while she thinks keeping a hopeful outlook is key to helping people get through the “worst circumstances imaginable,” she told the outlet that remaining in denial about someone’s illness can hinder “families from planning for what’s next.”

“There are a lot of things I never talked to Jay about because I couldn’t deal with bringing up the possibility that he wouldn’t be around,” she said in the interview. “As a caregiver, that’s probably my biggest regret.”

Nearly 25 years after her husband died following his cancer battle, Couric revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022. The TV host underwent surgery and radiation treatment.

Couric has since been a vocal advocate for timely screenings after she revealed her doctors detected the cancer following a delayed annual mammogram and ultrasound.

Later in the USA Today interview, Couric urged caregivers to not be afraid to ask for and accept help from others.

“You need to have a respite for your own physical and mental health,” she explained. “I tried to do that during the course of Jay’s illness. I felt guilty at times, but I knew that I was going to explode if I didn’t do that.”

Read Couric’s full USA Today interview here.

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