Tanya Roberts’ longtime partner got the surprise of a lifetime.
Lance O’Brien, who has been the boyfriend of the 65-year-old Bond girl and “Beastmaster” star for 18 years, was in the middle of an interview about her reported death with “Inside Edition” on Monday when he found out some shocking news.
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“Now, you’re telling me she’s alive?” O’Brien is heard saying as he answers a call from the hospital where Roberts was admitted.
The actress’ publicist confirmed her death on Sunday, prompting headlines around the world. Roberts was hospitalized after collapsing suddenly while walking her dogs.
“The hospital is telling me she is alive,” a shocked O’Brien told “Inside Edition”. “They are calling me from the ICU team.”
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O’Brien said that while Roberts did not have COVID-19, she was having difficulty breathing and had been placed on a ventilator, and that pandemic restrictions had prevented him from seeing her in hospital for nine days before granting him an exemption to say his goodbyes.
“When she saw me and I was there, I saw her eyes open,” he said. “I felt good. I said, ‘Hey, her eyes are opening. Her eyes are opening.’ They told me that’s just a reflex.”
After seeing Roberts having seen her close her eyes as they “faded,” O’Brien left the hospital devastated without speaking to hospital staff, he told TMZ.
Roberts’ rep, Mike Pingel, told People that though Roberts is still alive, he said of her condition, “Currently, it’s not looking good. It’s very dire. Hold her in your prayers.”
