What To Know
- Al Roker and Deborah Roberts celebrated their daughter Leila’s 27th birthday via social media.
- Leila got engaged to Sylvain Gricourt earlier this year after meeting him during her studies abroad in France.
- The couple plans to hold wedding ceremonies in both the U.S. and France next year.
Al Roker and Deborah Roberts are celebrating a big day for their daughter, Leila, before she’s set to walk down the aisle next year.
The TV personalities took to Instagram to wish Leila a Happy 27th Birthday. “The world became a different place today when one Leila Ruth Roker showed up,” Roker captioned his Monday, November 17, Instagram post. “We are so proud of the impact your now 27 years on this #bigbluemarble @leilaroker.”
Roker shared his message alongside a video montage of photos of Leila. The collection of then-and-now snaps included pics of Leila with family and friends, herself meeting Rihanna, herself participating in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, her college graduation and move to Paris, and her engagement to Sylvain Gricourt earlier this year.
“Awww. 🥰 ❤️,” Roberts commented underneath Roker’s post, while Leila added, “Love you 💗💗💗.”
Like her husband, Roberts shared photos of Leila as a child and adult in her own Instagram post. “You made me a mom, first,” the ABC News personality wrote. “From the start, there was something special about you, Leila. Your eyes. Your soul. Your sweetness. Your inquisitive spirit. (I’ll never forget how at 4 years old you declared that something you saw was ‘splendid’! ).”
She continued, “And now you’re an absolutely lovely young woman. But you’ll always be my baby. I am forever proud of your BORN day. Happy, happy birthday dear @leilaroker.”
Leila thanked her mother in the post’s comments, writing, “Love you so much, Mom! 💗💗.”
Leila is the second eldest of Roker’s three children. He welcomed his daughter Courtney with his late ex-wife, Alice Bell, in 1987. Roker went on to wed Roberts in 1995, and the couple welcomed Leila in 1998, and their son, Nick, in 2002.
As she grew up, Leila moved abroad to study at the American University of Paris. She met her now-fiancé, Gricourt, during her studies, and graduated in 2021 with a degree in journalism.
Earlier this year, Leila announced via Instagram that Gricourt had popped the question. “8 years ago, I moved to Paris 🇫🇷, 7 years ago I met my person and best friend 💖, and 2 days ago, that person took me on the most amazing surprise trip to Venice 🇮🇹 to ask me to spend the rest of our lives together 💍,” she wrote alongside pics of her Italian proposal on March 2.
In an Instagram post of his own, Gricourt called asking Leila to marry him “the best thing I did in the last 33 years.”
Back in May, Roberts told People that Leila’s wedding will take place next year. “We’re still planning. We’re getting all the details together, so stay tuned,” she shared.
Roberts spilled more details on the October 24 episode of Live With Kelly and Mark, revealing that the couple plans to have ceremonies in both the U.S. and France. “That’s where we’ll blow the budget,” she joked of the double wedding. “She wants to come home.”