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Hoda Kotb gets candid about ex Joel Schiffman and her daughters in rare interview

The Today star is a doting mom to daughters Haley and Hope

today hoda kotb emotional discovery daughter
Hanna Fillingham
US Managing Editor
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Hoda Kotb loves nothing more than being a mom and shares her two young daughters Haley and Hope with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman.

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While the TV star is a familiar face many people wake up to in the mornings, when it comes to her personal life she's fairly private.

However, Hoda got candid about her family, and made a heartfelt revelation about her ex and their decision to adopt.

VIDEO: Today's Hoda Kotb is left shocked live on air

She told Good Housekeeping magazine: "I don't think I would have adopted if it hadn't been for Joel. Having a stable relationship in that moment was really important.

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"Once that fell into place, it didn't seem as scary to me. I ask read about Sandra Bullock and the children she adopted. I'd always felt a weird connection to her, though I only knew her from the show.

"But she was my age, and I just thought, 'Wow, she's really cool.' I called her, and we talked.

today hoda kotb children joel

Hoda Kotb revealed her ex fiancé Joel Schiffman helped encourage her decision to adopt

"She said adopting was the most important thing she'd ever done. When I had made the decision to adopt and was on the plane to pick up my [first] daughter, I called her again. She said, 'It's about to begin!' Sometimes all you need is a model before [you realize] I can handle it."

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Hoda opened up about motherhood in the April edition of Good Housekeeping, alongside her Today co-star Savannah Guthrie.

today hoda kotb daughters at home

Hoda is a doting mom to daughters Haley and Hope

The pair also spoke about working together on the hit NBC morning show, and how it helps them get balance motherhood alongside their busy careers.

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"I have some nights where I really messed up and I know I did, and I come in the next morning [thinking], I feel terrible for what I did. What was I thinking?

"Why did I think that was going to work? They went to bed crying. Like, I don't want that to be me. But then I talk to Savannah. She'll say, 'That was my Wednesday,' it makes you feel less alone."

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