Sara Haines became emotional on “The View” while revealing that her father-in-law had died after spending a week in hospice care.
The ABC daytime talk show, 48, cohost returned Thursday, Sept. 17, after unexpectedly missing the previous day’s episode, telling viewers she wanted to explain her absence.
“I wanted to share why I was missing yesterday,” Haines said. “My father-in-law passed away.”
Haines said the family knew his death was approaching but that the reality of the loss unleashed emotions she had been carrying while trying to support her husband, Max Shifrin.
“He’s been in hospice for a week, so we knew this was coming, but I think the second that landed, it kind of allowed a load to carry for so long to just, like… gush out,” she said.
Shifrin had been away from home during his father’s final days, Haines explained. He has since returned to be with Haines and their children.
“Max has been gone. He hasn’t seen the kids, and now he’s finally back, and we’re pouring love into him,” Haines said.
Haines described her father-in-law as the “most important person” in her husband’s life, saying she understood their close relationship from the beginning of her own romance with Shifrin.
“I think I learned about this man on my first day because it was everything,” Haines said. “It was Max’s North Star.”
She continued, “So it’s the chapter we’re in, and we all will be a part of this club eventually, but wow, it’s brutal.”
Haines also addressed the speculation surrounding her sudden absence from Wednesday’s episode. She said she learned about her father-in-law’s death shortly before the show and stepped away from the broadcast.
“Just to quell any rumors going around, I found out right before the show yesterday,” Haines said.
Her fellow cohosts had briefly acknowledged her absence Wednesday without disclosing the circumstances, prompting questions from some viewers, according to People.
Haines and Shifrin, an attorney, have been married since 2014. The couple shares three children: sons Alec, 10, and Caleb, 7, and daughter Sandra, 8.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sara Haines breaks down on 'The View' announcing 'brutal' family loss
