Special thanks to "qwerty" for posting the transcripts to the "Touched by an Angel" message board ;-)

Transcripts - LIVE with Regis and Kelly.

Regis: ok – she’s everybody’s favorite angel on the top rated show Touched by an Angel, now she moves from tv to author with her first children’s book Love is a Family. Roma Downey.

Regis: She looks like a 16-year-old kid doesn’t she?

Kelly: She really does, good for you.

Roma: Thank you.

Regis: So you started your new – you’re moving aren’t you from Sunday night to Saturday night.

Roma: Saturday night, CBS, 8:00.

Regis: Starting this coming Saturday night – first episode

Roma: Yes.

Regis: How many years have you been on now?

Roma: This is out 8th season.

Regis: Wow, 8 seasons – that’s a long time. How do you feel about moving to another night.

Roma: Well, you know, we actually became a hit onn Saturday night so in a sense, it’s bringing us back full circle. And I think there isn’t really much original programming opposite us, we’re very, very excited.

Kelly: There’s nothing really good on Saturday night that you can watch.

Roma: And we have a new night, we have a new angel.

Regis: Yes, Valerie Bertinelli

Roma: Who sends special love – special love to both of you.

Regis: I bet she’s going to be a big addition to your show.

Roma: She’s absolutely lovely.

Regis: Is she enjoying it?

Roma: Yes, she is.

Regis: Does she play an angel too?

Roma: She does. She plays a brand new angel with a personality that is able to really absorb information. She’s great with her head. She has a problem making an emotional connection to things, so it’s almost like she’s going to be the head, I’m going to be the heart and we will learn from each other.

Regis: So angels have their own kind of problems once in a while.

Roma: I guess so, yes.

Regis: And you call her the Mr Spock of angels? Why is that?

Roma: A little bit in that there’s that emotional detachment.

Kelly: Have you noticed how obsessed he is with Valerie Bertinelli?

Roma: I have noticed that, yes.

Regis: How does she look? What is she wearing these days?

Roma: A lot of white.

Kelly: Well, this book…

Regis: I read it myself last night.

Roma: Did you, that’s sweet.

Kelly: I read it to my boy and he just loved it. “Again mommy,” that’s the sign of a good book if it’s “again mommy.”

Roma: Thank you.

Regis: Love is a Family – This little girl, you know, wonders where her daddy is and thinks that unless she has a daddy, it’s not a complete family.

Roma: I was raised by just my daddy because my mother died and now I’m raising my girl as a single mom and I really couldn’t find a book out there that confronted the issue of families that didn’t fit into the stereotypical traditional family picture. And it’s a little girl, she’s afraid to bring her mom to a school function, she thinks they’ll be the odd family out. And she’s sort of embarrassed by that and the book says no, you know family isn’t defined by mother, father or brother, sister, family is defined by love. Doesn’t matter who’s raising you.

Regis: You were born in Northern Ireland?

Roma: I was, yes.

Regis: In Northern Ireland. And you grew up there too Roma?

Roma: I did, yes.

Regis: And was this going on there then, the violence and all.

Roma: Yes, yes. This is unfortunately, very, very familiar. But you know, in the same way that the Irish people were very resilient and raised to the occasion – I mean it’s a great thing to see how united the country, the world is at this time.

Regis: Have you spoken to your daughter about what’s going on?

Roma: No, I was very fortunate in that she is blissfully oblivious to what has happened and I don’t feel the need – I don’t think she’s equipped to deal with it. Frankly, I don’t feel I’m equipped to deal with it myself. So she doesn’t know.

Regis: How old is she?

Roma: She’s 5.

Regis: And does she approve of the book?

Roma: She loves the book, except the opening page, the little girl has a tantrum and slams the door closed and slamming the door closed in my house is a punishable offense.

Kelly: Oh then my son would never survive in that house.

Roma: So when we read the book, we have to start on page two.

Regis: You know I’m looking at this little girl and she reminds me of you when you first came to work on the show.

Kelly: There’s something hauntingly familiar about that girl.

Regis: Well, good luck with the book and of course to Saturday nights, Touched by an Angel, 8:00 on CBS. Roma, you look terrific, thank you so much for coming.

Roma: Thank you so much.

Host: Every week, Roma Downey soars into millions of homes on the hit show Touched by an Angel. And she’s proven that she’s equally touching as an author with her new children’s book, Love is a Family. Please welcome back to the View, Roma Downey.

Host: Roma, what is your favorite children’s book?

Roma: What is my favorite children’s book? Apart from my own, you mean? I think, Where the Wild Things Are.

Host: Why would you want to write a book?

Roma: I’m a single mother of a beautiful 5-year-old daughter. I was also raised by a single father, because my mother died when I was a little girl. And I was looking for a book that I could read to Reilly that validated the fact that there was just the two of us, the different size, that we were a family, that that was ok, that said family was not defined by mother father brother sister. That family is defined by love.

Host: How does your daughter like the book?

Roma: She loves the book, except it starts out with the little girl having a bit of a temper tantrum and slamming the door closed behind her. And in our house, slamming a door closed at the result of a temper tantrum results in you having to sit on the stairs for a time out. She likes to read the book, but we have to start on page two.

Host: I couldn’t help noticing the resemblance, I read the book on the way to work this morning, and I saw that you and the child look like you and your child.

Roma: I know, I know.

Host: Is that on purpose?

Roma: Yes, it was on purpose. We never actually met our illustrator, a lovely French girl, Justine Gasquet. We sent photographs of ourselves over to her and when the illustrations started arriving for approval, the cover came first. And Reilly opened it up and she said “Mom, look, it’s you and me!” It’s kind of like seeing yourself how you would look if you were a cartoon.

Host: You have such a warm way with kids and I want to ask you about how you talk to them about the terrorist attacks, because you grew up in Northern Ireland.

Roma: Yes.

Host: And you experienced these kind of attacks very often. So what kind of advise would you give to parents who are trying to discuss this with their kids.

Roma: Gosh, it’s such a hard issue. I mean, I think the most important thing is to reassure then that they are safe. To remind them over and over again how much they are loved. I’m very fortunate we were in Utah when this whole nightmare began and my 5-year-old is blissfully oblivious so it’s not something I actually have to personally deal with. But I know for us growing up in the North of Ireland where we had to duck behind cars on the way home from school to avoid gunfire and that sort of thing. I know that my father always – there was a lot of hugging. So I wish I had the magic words to say what it was to do, but I think as long as you keep talking to them. I think the important thing is that our kids don’t clam up and get so afraid that they feel that they can’t share their feelings.

Host: What were your experiences with terrorism like when you were growing up?

Roma: Well, you know, the strangest thing was that it wasn’t until after I actually left the North of Ireland for college in London, that I realized the tension that we were living under. As unfortunately, we’re discovering, in this great country, that when the enemy has no face and could come from anywhere at any time, you feel so incredibly vulnerable. But the flop side of that, the good side of that I think that it opens in you the need to connect and I’ve really felt that during this visit to NY how people feel so connected to each other. There’s an openness I think and maybe out of that, we can unite. But when I first moved to London, a car backfired, very briefly, and I instinctively hit the ground and that awful realization that I didn’t have to live like that anymore. And how grateful I’ve been for my many years in America that I’ve taken this freedom for granted. I hope we can reclaim that very soon.

Host: Roma, you play an angel on Touched by an Angel and we’ve talked on the show for the last couple of weeks how a lot of people have been turning to God during this time. That is something you encourage, your character encourages throughout the run of your show. Do you find that in your own life that that’s something that has helped you these past couple of weeks.

Roma: Oh yes, I’m so grateful for my faith and the comfort that it gives me. And I really believe in the power of prayer. I think if there’s a collective spiritual awakening through this and that if we as a nation could unite in prayer, I think we could move mountains.

Host: We love everyone on your show. They had that cute blond guy on first. Your show’s actually moving back to Saturday nights?

Roma: Yes, back to Saturday night. We actually have our premiere this coming Saturday, 8:00 on CBA. And we actually became a hit on Saturday nights, so in a sense, we’re coming full circle back to where we started. And we’re introducing, full time to our new season, the lovely Valerie Bertinelli as a new angel called Gloria so we be four angels strong now.

Host: You can’t have too many angels about now.

Host: Della Reese is your daughter’s Godmother?

Roma: She certainly is, yes, and spoils her rotten.

Host: And doing a nice job?

Roma: Absolutely. And Reilly is wise to it now. You know she knows if she asks me for something and for whatever reason she gets the negative, she can slither over next to Godma. I can hear Della going “Absolutely, you can have it!”

Host: Everyone needs a Godmother like that. Thanks to Roma Downey. We always love having you here.

Transcripts - EXTRA!

Introduction: A lot of us parents are looking for the right way to talk to our kids about the recent tragedy and now Jerry Penecoli (sp?) has a famous television angel offering some divine guidance.

Monica: Tess, what does this mean? Tess: It means the world will never be the same again.

Narrator: She’s the inspirational tv angel who changes people’s lives and Touched by an Angel star Roma Downey says that like all of America, she’s been touched by the tragedy in New York.

Roma: Everybody in Utah where we are is equally devastated and heartbroken by the events that took place here.

Narrator: Here is New York City, where Roma’s come this week to spread a positive message about love and family in a city were so many lives have been shattered.

Roma: It’s been a real difficult few days to see it this close.

Narrator: And for a woman who’s show inspires millions each week, it is just as difficult to make sense of suicide bombers killing thousands of innocent people.

Roma: It forces us to reflect on what’s important.

Narrator: What’s most important to this single mom is family and she’s written a children’s book called Love is a Family based on Roma and her 5-year-old daughter Reilly. Roma hopes parents will shield small children from the terrifying images that have flooded the media.

Roma: I made sure that the television or radio was not on in the house.

Narrator: And just like her tv character Roma has some spiritual advice on getting through these tough times: hold your family close.

Roma: Family is not defined by mom and dad and brother/sister. A family is defined by love.

Narrator: And love, lots and lots of it, Roma says, is exactly what we all need right now.

Return to Official Roma Downey Pages