Annette Roque, wife of disgraced news anchor Matt Lauer, was spotted in Amsterdam on Friday, having lunch with a girlfriend and wearing no wedding ring.
Roque has reportedly been prepared to call it quits on her marriage for some time now, though sources say Lauer is still trying to salvage the union. According to Page Six, Roque is doing much better on her European getaway, finally getting some distance from her embattled husband.
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Sources close to Roque told the outlet she’s “regrouping” overseas. She was seen at Rijks, an upscale lunch spot, having some wine with a friend.
“She was having lunch with a girlfriend,” confirmed an eye-witness. “They were drinking red wine, and Annette did not have her wedding ring on. She was laughing through the whole lunch.”
“Annette is enjoying the European life,” the insider went on. “She is in a different mindset here. She is definitely regrouping.”
Roque was first photographed without her wedding ring in December, shortly after Lauer was fired from The Today Show. She reportedly kicked Lauer out of the family home following the fiasco, and forced him into their second house in the Hamptons. While Roque’s father told reporters it was only a matter of time until she divorced him, sources close to the couple seem to think Lauer still has a fighting chance at maintaining his family.
Roque filed for divorce one before, in 2006. At the time, she claimed she had suffered from “mental abuse, extreme mental and emotional distress, humiliation, torment and anxiety” at Lauer’s hands. Sources say that Lauer tried to appease her with extravagant gifts, and ultimately the two have stayed together for their children. This time, however, that might not be enough.
Lauer has been seen with and without his wedding ring several times since his termination on Nov. 29. The Today Show co-anchor was officially fired over a report of “sexual misconduct” in the workplace, though it was later revealed that several other news outlets were investigating dozens of claims against Lauer spanning many years.
At the end of January, a source told Us Weekly that Roque had begun the divorce process, though the report remains unconfirmed. A source also said that Lauer “thinks he’ll be back on TV at some point.
