What happened to Chris Mortensen? Health Update, Net Worth - Net Worth Post (2024)

Lara Spencer Wiki

A television producer and host, Lara Spencer is a well-known face of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) program “Good Morning America”, and she also serves as a correspondent for “ABC News” and the late-night news program “Nightline”.

Lara also has a few acting credits to her name, starring as herself, and was seen in the Oscar-nominated (Best Achievement in Visual Effects) 2021 movie “Free Guy”, starring Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer. Lara also made an appearance in the series “Gary Unmarried” (2010), and “The Muppets” (2016).

Early life, family, and education

Her birth name is Lara Christine von Seelen, born under the zodiac sign of Gemini on 19 June 1969, in Garden City, New York USA, and was raised in this wealthy suburb of Long Island by her parents, Carolyn and Richard von Seelen. Her father was the president of the knitwear manufacturer division. Lara has four siblings, two sisters Lisa and Karen, and two brothers, Kirk and Keith. Her family prefers to keep their lives away from the public eye, thus nothing is known about any of them.

Lara was into sports from an early age, and during her high school days she was a nationally ranked competitive diver, which earned her an athletic scholarship, and was named 1991 All-American Athlete.

Speaking of Lara’s educational background, she attended Garden City High School, and upon matriculating in 1987, she enrolled at Pennsylvania State University, from which she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism in 1991.

Career

It isn’t clear when Lara began using the surname ‘Spencer’ as her professional surname, but following her graduation, Lara began serving as a volunteer for the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) Page Program, and after she gained some experience in reporting, she began working for WDEF-TV, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. There she was a reporter, editor, producer and photographer, and even drove a news van; Lara jokes that she was a ‘one-man band’.

After a year, she moved to News 12 Long Island, a cable television network where she stayed for two years. Next, Lara began working as an anchor for WABC-TV, a TV station in New York, which serves as the flagship of ABC.

https://www.facebook.com/GoodMorningAmerica/photos/a.10152391858797061/10152391858892061/

In 1996, when Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 800 exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, Lara was one of the reporters who covered this story, and many critics consider this work as her big break.

In 1999, Lara joined “Good Morning America” as a national correspondent, and was in that position until 2002, when she began serving as co-anchor, making appearances in over 2,400 episodes to date.

During 2004 and 2005, Lara was also the host of the series “Antiques Roadshow”, which brought her a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality Program, and concurrently, she was the host of the newsmagazine “The Insider” (2004-2010).

In 2013, Lara was nominated for the People’s Choice Award, USA for Favorite Daytime TV Host, sharing this nomination with her fellows from “Good Morning America”, Josh Elliott, Sam Champion, Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos. Also, in 2019, Lara and the rest of the crew were nominated for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Morning Program.

Lara is known as the host of “Flea Market Flip” and “Farmer’s Market Flip” too, reality TV shows that both aired during 2016 and 2017.

Besides her work as a journalist, Lara is a writer of two books, entitled “I Brake for Yard Sales” (2012), and “Flea Market Fabulous: Designing Gorgeous Rooms with Vintage Treasures” (2014), both written as guides for designing homes.

Love life, husband, and children

Lara was the subject of various rumors concerning her love life. Some rumors were saying that she was in a relationship with one of her fellows from “Good Morning America”. She was romantically linked to various men from the entertainment industry, as well as some athletes. However, she hasn’t commented on these assumptions.

On 30 September 2000, Lara married her long-term boyfriend, David Haffenreffer, a former Cable News Network (CNN) financial news journalist. The episcopal wedding ceremony was held at Saint Andrew Dune Church, in Southampton, New York.

On 22 January 2002, Lara gave birth to their first child, a son named Duff, while their daughter Kate was born in 2004. The family of four lived in Riverside, Greenwich, Connecticut. When Lara began working for “The Insider” the family moved to Los Angeles, but according to Radar Online, troubles in Lara and David’s marriage began at that time.

Allegedly, she was always working and was absent from home almost all the time; David took care of their children, and Lara was the one who made money. The source said that David didn’t like Lara’s flirting with other men, and in addition, David’s parents and Lara never got along.

In March 2015, the couple issued a joint statement saying that they decided to separate, and their divorce was finalized in June 2015.

Three years later, Lara announced that she’d become engaged to Richard McVey; he’s an American tech entrepreneur, and serves as the chairman of an electronic trading platform called MarketAxess based in New York.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CljRlgnuHaT/

Lara met Richard through a mutual friend who set them up on a blind date. The two married on 1 September 2018, at an outdoor wedding ceremony held in Vail, Colorado. Lara’s son Duff walked her down the aisle.

As of late 2022, Lara and Richard are still in a marriage; they don’t have children together, however, her son and daughter were living with her and Richard until they both went to college. Lara often shares their photos on her Instagram, with captions full of love and pride.

Age, height, and net worth

Lara is 53 years old, but many of her fans believe she is still beautiful, and that her blonde hair and green eyes are her trademarks. She takes care of her body, and with a height of 5ft 10ins (1.78m), a weight of about 130lbs (60kgs), and vital statistics of 35-25-35, Lara looks stunning, according to her fans.

If you wondered how rich this veteran journalist is, according to authoritative sources, Lara has a net worth estimated at over $20 million.