Rhapsodic. Problem solver. Larger than life. Ask anyone and the answer will be the same: Nancy Roberts will be remembered as one of the most eloquent and compassionate people Ocean Beach has known.
The Manhattan native was a radio advice show host, actress, author of “Breaking All the Rules”—a “big is beautiful” themed self-help book—and a breast cancer survivor who founded the UK National Breast Cancer Coalition during the 34 years she lived in England. Roberts spent her last seven years living year-round in her Bungalow Walk cottage until she lost her battle to cancer on March 26. She was 64.
Born on Nov. 11, 1945, Nancy was the daughter of Norma and Kenneth Roberts, a prolific announcer during radio’s heyday. The family, including her brother Tony, an actor, have been coming to Fire Island for nearly 60 years.
After graduating the High School for Music and Art, she spent a year studying art in Perugia, Italy.
“She loved to travel, explore, and learn, and had a gift of being able to talk to anyone,” said niece Nicole Roberts Burley.
Roberts hosted “The Nancy Roberts Show” in New York City in the early 1990s and later on Talk Radio UK in London. She was what the British call an “agony aunt,” discussing life, love and personal issues while providing witty, down-to-earth advice to callers. She even had a few acting credits under her belt, including a part in “Superman 3.”
In short, Roberts was a talker: an open book.
“Slit me down the middle and spill me out and you can know everything you want to know,” she told “The Independent” in 1996 while commenting on how her marriage of nearly 30 years provided fodder for her show.
Her catchphrase became, “I’m not a doctor!” In spite of that, she frequently was a guest on television talk shows and traveled the country to discuss self-image, eating disorders and the dieting industry. “The Sunday Mail” named her a campaigning woman of 1982.
Roberts was a fashion innovator as well.
“She models bright, flamboyant clothing in colors and styles usually reserved for thinner women and she looks great,” “Publishers Weekly” wrote of the photo spread portion of her book, subtitled “Feeling good and looking great no matter what your size.”
Published in the 1980s, the book was among the first of its kind.
“Overweight women, as well as those concerned about their appearance for other reasons, will be assured by the author's attitude toward her own looks and by her advice on exercise and dress,” the critics said approvingly.
For all her success, however, Roberts had her tough days too. She was first diagnosed with cancer in 1990 and beat it. She and her husband, Uwe Blanken, separated in 2003. Through it all, however, Roberts maintained a supportive cast of friends.
“Her friends were part of her family,” said Benjamin Broughan, who said Roberts was like a surrogate mother to him. “She was more than just a friend to a lot of people.”
Her friend Leslie Tucker likened Roberts to a big sister.
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Obituaries 
