The New Allegations Against Matt Lauer Are ‘Reopening Old Wounds’ for His Ex-Wife Annette Roque

After new assault allegations about Matt Lauer were revealed on Wednesday, October 9, the former Today show star’s family is dealing with the aftermath, and it hasn’t been easy for them, to say the least. “Annette [Roque] is divorced from Matt, but the pain she’s having to relive right now is still tremendous,” a source exclusively told In Touch after Brooke Nevils — a former NBC employee — detailed the alleged incident in Ronan Farrow’s tell-all book, Catch and Kill. “It’s reopening old wounds — the details about what Matt did with that woman are disgusting.”

The source added, “She mainly feels for their children, who have been really good at moving on from this nightmare in the last two years. But now it’s all back in the headlines again. It’s almost like it never really went away, and it’s only gotten worse.”

In the book, Nevils claimed Lauer assaulted her in his hotel room while they were at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, for work. “It was nonconsensual in the sense that I was too drunk to consent,” she claimed. “It was nonconsensual in that I said, multiple times, that I didn’t want to have anal sex.”

Later on, Nevils told Meredith Vieira — her coworker at the time — what had allegedly happened between her and Lauer. Vieira, 65, told her to talk to human resources with a lawyer, which she did. In November 2017, Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie announced Lauer had been fired after an unnamed “colleague” — a.k.a. Nevils — made a “detailed complaint … about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.”

Guthrie and Kotb told their viewers the somber news on October 9. “You know, this is shocking and appalling, and I honestly don’t even know what to say about it,” Guthrie began. “I know it wasn’t easy for our colleague Brooke to come forward then, it’s not easy now. We support her and any women who have come forward with claims. It’s just very painful for all of us at NBC and who are the Today show. It’s very, very, very difficult.”

However, Lauer denied that he raped Nevils. “In a new book, it is alleged that an extramarital, but consensual, sexual encounter have previously admitted having, was in fact an assault,” he said in a statement through his lawyer, Variety reported. “It is categorically false, ignores the facts and defies common sense.”

He added, “I had an extramarital affair with Brooke Nevils in 2014. It began when she came to my hotel room very late one night in Sochi, Russia. We engaged in a variety of sexual acts. We performed oral sex on each other, we had vaginal sex, and we had anal sex. Each act was mutual and completely consensual. The story Brooke tells is filled with false details intended only to create the impression this was an abusive encounter. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

But it seems like Roque — who finalized her divorce from Lauer in September — isn’t too happy Lauer made a statement and told his side of the story. “Annette called her children immediately to warn them,” the insider added. “And Matt’s lengthy rebuttal, trying to protect what’s left of his tattered reputation, only made it worse for Annette. She hated reading details of Matt’s affair with Brooke. It made her relive those nights when she was all alone at home while Matt lived his double life.”

At the end of the day, Roque is trying her best to move on with her life, but it’s easier said than done. “Annette was finally feeling better about going out in public, holding her head up high,” the source explained. “But the gross allegations in this new book, which isn’t even out yet, came crashing down on her like a meteor. She doesn’t want to go through this again. It’s too much for her to handle.”

Meanwhile, Roque — who shares three kids with Lauer: Jack, 18, Romy, 16 and Thijs, 12 — is leaning on her family during this tough time. “In response to your inquiry, our client has asked us to tell you that now that the parties are officially divorced, her priority and only concern is for their wonderful children,” Roque’s lawyer John M. Teitler told People. “Our client will make no further statements.”