Alex Trebek's wife Jean Trebek reveals hosting 'Jeopardy!' helped him battle with cancer

Late Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek's wife, Jean Trebek recently shared memories of her late husband and revealed how much being a part of the popular reality game show helped him battle cancer. After Alex Trebek's demise last year in November at 80 after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer, his widow Jean gave her first-ever televised interview to Savannah Guthrie for the NBC special Inspiring America: The 2021 Inspiration List, which will air this Saturday on NBC and Telemundo at 8 p.m. ET. During her interview with Savannah, Alex's wife of 30 years revealed that he had planned to continue being a part of Jeopardy! for as long as he could. 

Jean Trebek shares memories of her late husband Alex Trebek on Jeopardy!

Following Jeopardy's host Alex Trebek's death on November 8, 2020, his beloved wife Jean Trebek recently sat down for an interview with TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie and spoke about carrying on his legacy of giving as a part of "Inspiring America: The 2021 Inspiration List". The upcoming NBC special focuses on the people who have made a positive impact on the masses over the years, and Alex Trebek is one among the honorees.

, Alex's wife Jean expressed that Alex was inspired by his fans during his battle with pancreatic cancer and revealed how important it was for him to share with fans what he was going through. 

She said, "His gift was that he could be very resolute and he knew that the truth will not hurt you. He wanted to, I think, empower people to move through whatever challenge they had in life with a sense of inner strength, inner dignity, and love." For the unversed, despite his deteriorating health, the Emmy Award-winning show host continued to host Jeopardy! and according to his wife, the NBC game show gave him a reason to wake up each morning. Speaking about the same, she stated, "Doing 'Jeopardy!' really gave him a sense of purpose, a reason to wake up in the morning and I would say we all need that. We all need a purpose." Jean continued, "I think that I knew his life would wrap up quickly when he could no longer do the show. But he wanted to finish strong. And he did. And he lived life on his own terms."

Take a look:

Image credit: Jean Trebek's Instagram