Robin Roberts thanks longtime girlfriend following rare illness

This Feb. 24, 2013 file photo shows broadcaster Robin Roberts arriving at the 85th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (A2013)

Robin Roberts thanked her longtime girlfriend, Amber Laign, in a year-end post published on the ABC News anchor's Facebook page on Sunday, confirmed Heather Riley of ABC. The message comes after Roberts' battle with a life-threatening illness.

This is the first time the "Good Morning America" anchor has publicly acknowledged her 10-year, same-sex relationship with Laign, a massage therapist from the San Francisco Bay Area.

In May, Grand Central Publishing announced Roberts will write a memoir telling the story of her battle with the life-threatening illness and the life lessons she continues to gather following her return to "GMA" in February.