Robin Roberts said she nearly turned down interview with Barack Obama in 2012 over fears of being outed

ABC anchor Robin Roberts said she almost turned down interviewing former President Obama in 2012 over fears she would be outed.

Roberts, who came out as gay in 2013, told Ellen DeGeneres on Monday that there was talk at the time that Obama was going to make news with regard to his position on marriage equality.

“I had not been public yet about being gay, and I was afraid that I might be outed, that people might wonder, ‘Why is she the one interviewing the president when he’s making this change in his stance?'” the “Good Morning America” host told DeGeneres.

Roberts went on to say that she decided to do the interview when she thought about how many people would be impacted by the president’s change in his stance.

“And then it was kinda like a scene out of ‘Moonstruck.’ Slap! … Snap out of it!” Roberts said. “You know, ‘Robin what are you thinking? It’s not about you. This man is going to impact countless lives.’ And it was at that moment that I said, ‘I’m going to stop letting fear keep me from the things that I want to do.'”

Roberts, who has had breast cancer herself, also addressed her longtime partner Amber Laign’s current battle with the disease.

“I haven’t talked about it much, but with you, I will,” she said, choking up. “She’s doing well, which is great.”