ABC news anchor Elizabeth Vargas, the co-host of 20/20 and the first de facto solo female host of the nightly news, has re-entered rehab for the third time this year, according to the Associated Press.
Vargas, who first admitted in 2013 that she was an alcoholic, is being treated in an inpatient facility, having checked herself in this weekend while on vacation. She admitted last November that she’d spent some weeks in rehab, and in January of this year, she entered for a second time.
“As so many other recovering alcoholics know, overcoming the disease can be a long and incredibly difficult process,” Vargas said in a statement. “I feel I have let myself, my co-workers and most importantly my family down and for that I am ashamed and sorry.”
ABC News stands behind Vargas, who has admitted that she often turns to alcohol in times of anxiety. One possible source of anxiety, according to rumors, is troubles in her marriage. Vargas is married to Marc Cohn, the Grammy-winning singer of “Walking in Memphis.” The couple has two children together. Cohn was also shot in the head, suffering minor injuries, during a car jacking in 2005.
Vargas used to host ABC’s nightly news program, World News Tonight with Bob Woodruff, until Woodruff was injured in Iraq. She co-hosted several times by herself before Charlies Gibson took over after Vargas went on maternity leave (and most speculate that Vargas was not happy about it).
Source: Associated Press
