MILWAUKEE, WI (CBS 58) -- For more than four decades, Deborah Norville has been a constant presence in America’s living rooms — first in local news, then on the national stage, and for 30 years as host of Inside Edition. 

CBS 58 Morning Anchor Alex Corradetti sat down with the broadcasting icon to learn more about Norville's career and outlook on life. 

“You know, I think there are two ways you can go through life Alex,” Norville said. “One is like this, and the other is like this. And I think early on, I just said, ‘Okay, I'm going to keep the arms open. Bring it on.’ Hopefully I can deal with it. What if? I think it’s one of the saddest questions you can ask yourself. ‘What if I had done something?’ Well, you’ll never know because you didn’t do it.”

That open-arms mindset has fueled every chapter of her career — from breaking news to her newest venture as host of The Perfect Line. “This new chapter, hosting The Perfect Line, has just been an absolute delight and, frankly, a blessing I never thought I’d see,” she said.

The longtime journalist is still driven by curiosity and connection — but now, her mission looks a little different. “Where else do you have the opportunity to give away other people’s money to people who really want to get it?” Norville said with a laugh. “There’s a pile of money that somebody’s put together. It’s not mine, and these nice people who dream of being on a game show — or in some cases need the money they’re playing for — they come in with all kinds of reasons. My job is to just make sure at the end of the day, when they go home, whether they’ve won a bunch of money or just been a contestant, that they’re happy they spent that time with us.”

The joy, she says, is contagious. “It was intense,” Norville recalled. “We were shooting twelve-hour days, but we knocked out 180 shows in just under two months. Some days, we shot seven shows in one day. It would take maybe forty-five minutes to shoot a thirty-minute show because of starts and stops, and then fifteen minutes to change clothes, switch contestants, give the audience a potty break, and do it all over again. Boom, boom, boom. It was so much fun.”

Even as her career soared, Norville says success never came at the expense of her family. “The business about 'you can have it all' is true — but you can’t have it all at the same time,” she said. “Every time I made a career choice where my personal life was what was driving the decision, it was the right choice.”

She remembers leaving a thriving job in Chicago to prioritize her marriage and later finding Inside Edition while expecting her second child. “When I came to Inside Edition, it was called tabloid television… and we got rid of that. We elevated the show,” she said. And after 30 years as the face of the program, Norville felt it was time to move forward. “I felt like if you leave, you must leave something in the best possible condition for the people you’re leaving behind. The show was strong, our ratings were really good, and I felt like it was the right time for me to step aside.”

Her three decades behind that anchor desk made her the longest-running national female news anchor in American television history — a milestone she says she never set out to reach.

Norville’s longevity didn’t come without challenges. After a difficult transition at NBC’s Today Show, she faced public scrutiny and personal heartbreak. “There was a major hiccup in my career when I was on the Today Show and succeeded Jane Pauley,” she said. “Almost immediately, negative press happened — they said I’d pushed her out. The whole thing was silly, and I was under a gag order. I believe Jane was under a gag order, and the net, net was two women who had a really great working relationship and a very easy friendship were put in a situation where neither one of us could talk, and it hurt both of us. I was out on my ear. I jumped before they could push me, but, but I was out of a job, and I didn’t think I’d ever work in television again," explained Norville. 

She says the aftermath was one of the hardest chapters of her life. “I went through a major depression — like, I didn’t get dressed for six weeks,” she said. “I did a radio show for a year and a half and then went back to CBS News. The promise I made to myself then was, if I’m lucky enough to get back in television, I’ll leave — but it’ll be on my own terms.”

"So then, after I'd been at NBC and the Today Show and then CBS News, I was expecting my second child, I didn't think I could be the wife and mom I wanted to be if I was going to be on the road, which I would have been weekend anchor one night a week, but a correspondent  the other four days. That wasn't going to work. So that's when I found Inside Edition. They happened to be looking for a new host, and it all worked out," said Norville. 

A legacy honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025. 

When Norville received her Lifetime Achievement Award, she took a quiet moment on stage to reflect. “They gave me a standing ovation — Jennifer Hudson stood up! It was amazing,” she said, smiling. “That award meant that people were watching and paying attention, and I

It’s a feeling that still humbles her today. “I’m from a tiny little town in North Georgia,” Norville said. “We don’t have a television station where I come from — we have one AM radio station. The fact that I’ve had this career in this industry is a source of amazement to me constantly.”

Now, she’s using that gratitude to inspire others — particularly young women just starting out in their own careers. “Trust yourself,” she said. “Listen to your heart. Don’t do anything, even if your boss asks you to, that you don’t believe is ethically appropriate. And always have a better idea in your back pocket. Your idea will probably be better than the bad one they just gave you.”

Still, she never forgets where it all started — with a high school sewing machine and a talent show in Georgia. “I was a senior in high school,” Norville said. “They came on the announcements and said, ‘If any senior girl wants to cut fifth period and hear what the Jaycees have to say about Junior Miss, you’re excused to go to the small auditorium.’ I didn’t know what Jaycees were, but I knew what fifth period was,” she laughed.

She entered the contest, modeling clothes she’d sewn herself — and won. “I’d been making my own clothes since I was in fourth grade,” she said. “I won the local, I won the state, and I had to represent Georgia in America’s Junior Miss Pageant. I then saw the guys rigging the lights and building the sets and thought, ‘I want to be in TV production.’”

That moment changed her life. “You TV guys, you gave me my career,” she said. “But I wouldn’t have had it if I hadn’t been able to sew — so sewing gave me my career.”

From hemlines to headlines, Deborah Norville reminds us that the strongest threads are the ones we sew ourselves.

If you'd like to watch Deborah host The Perfect Line, tune into WMLW The M weeknights at 7 and 7:30 pm.