Alex Trebek Reveals His Wife Jean Has Been ‘Wonderful’ Through His Cancer Journey

While it has been rough for Alex Trebek since learning that he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, he has of course had a huge amount of support, especially from his wife, Jean Currivan.

The Jeopardy! host recently revealed that his tumors have “shrunk by more than 50 percent” and that he is “near remission” — news that everyone was ecstatic to hear. “Jeannie is wonderful. She cried of course this morning when she got the [good] news [about my tumors shrinking]. But it’s been a lot. It’s a lot of pressure,” the 78-year-old explained to People.

The TV personality has lost his hair and his sense of taste due to chemotherapy, but he has also been hit quite hard emotionally. “My heart goes out to caregivers,” he told the outlet. “Because they have to deal with their loved ones suffering and they also don’t always know how to help because there’s not much they can do, except try to make you feel more comfortable, at ease and not worry about ordinary stuff.”

“They’ve also got to be strong and not allow their mate not to feel like they’re downhearted too,” he continued.

Alex and Jean have been married since 1990. They share two kids — Matthew, 28, and Emily, 25. “They look at me as Mr. Strong,” the legendary TV star said of his children. “They think, if anybody’s going to beat this, dad will. They’re very positive, and until I demonstrate otherwise, they’re going to continue in that vein.”

The world was shocked when Alex revealed he has cancer. “I’m going to fight this and I’m going to keep working. And with the love and support of my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease,” he told his fans in the unexpected announcement on March 6. “So help me. Keep the faith and we’ll win. We’ll get it done. Thank you.”

We are so happy to hear that the tide is turning for Alex. We hope his health continues to improve!