In a preview of Wednesday's show, she told the audience 'every nine seconds a woman is abused or assaulted in this country.' She then referred to the #WhyIStayed and #WhyILeft Twitter trends, that emerged after a video of Ray Rice punching his wife Janay Palmar was revealed.
The 60-year-old then began to share her harrowing tale of her time with an abusive partner. 'It started out with, we would have a fight and he'd just sort of grab my arm,' Vieira recalled. 'You know, I didn't think a lot about it. And then it turned into pushing me against the wall, then it went beyond that to actually taking his hand and grabbing my face and saying, 'I could ruin your career if I wanted to and no one would want you'.'
Vieira also addressed the reason she stayed with her abusive partner, saying, 'This is going on, I'm a smart woman. A lot of people say, 'Who would stay in that situation?' Somebody maybe doesn't have the wherewithal to get out, the means to get out-I had that. I had a job at the time, and I kept in this relationship.
'I've done a lot of thinking about why. I think part of it was fear. I was scared of him and scared if I tried to leave, something worse could happen to me. Part of it was guilt because every time we'd have a fight he would then start crying and say, 'I promise I won't do it again'.'
The 60-year-old also touched on the guilt that many victims of violence feel, and appeared to refer to a statement made by Janay Palmer where she said 'I do deeply regret the role that I played in the incident that night,' at a press conference following the release of the violent footage.
'I would feel like maybe I contributed somehow to this. They're saying this about Ray Rice's wife, you know, that it takes two to tango.' Meredith continued. 'And then there was the night-we shared an apartment-and he threw me into a shower, naked, in scalding water, and then he threw me outside into the hallway. We lived in an apartment building and I hid in a stairwell for two hours until he came, again, crying. [He said], 'I promise I won't do this again'.'
Her comments were met with audible gasps from the audience, but Vieira went on to explain that she managed to find a way out. 'I continued to stay in that relationship until I was offered a job in another state,' she said. 'That's where I felt I had the ability to get away...It's not so easy to just get away. You think it would be, but it is not.
'Having said that, if my daughter Lily, who is now 21, was in an abusive relationship, even if she thought she loved this man I would say, 'Go, just go',' the mother of three admitted.
The former 'Today' host concluded with a message for the victims of abuse, pleading, 'Tell somebody what's going on, let somebody know.
'It's [domestic violence] rampant in this country and we all have to accept that it's not just an issue with the NFL. Until we take it seriously, more and more women are going to get abused.'
You can watch Vieira share her brave but harrowing tale below.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised by Vieira please freephone the 24-hour National Domestic Violence on 0808 2000 247 for confidential help and advice.
Posted by Unknown on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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