Before she became a familiar face on TV, Diana Williams was just a woman head over heels in love, building a life with her husband, Douglas Shanks.
Their journey wasn’t without its share of heart-stopping moments, from Douglas’ life-threatening battle with amyloidosis to their son Nat’s near-fatal accident.
These intense personal trials eventually led Diana to make a big, soul-searching decision.
She stepped away from a celebrated career at ABC just to savor every moment with the people who truly mattered.
Here’s everything that you need to know about her.
Diana Williams Quick Facts
| Wiki and Bio | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Diana Williams |
| Nick Name | Diana |
| Profession | Former News Anchor, Journalist |
| Famous as | Former ABC anchor |
| Age | 66 years old |
| Date of Birth | July 18, 1958 |
| Birthplace/Hometown | Columbus, Ohio, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Gender | Female |
| Ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sun Sign (Zodiac Sign) | Cancer |
| Height (in feet) | 5’6″ |
| Height (in centimeters) | 168 cm |
| Weight (in pounds) | 132 lbs |
| Weight (in kilograms) | 60 kg |
| Body Measurements (in inches) | 34-26-36 |
| Body Measurements (in centimeters) | 86-66-91 |
| Shoe Size in US | 7 |
| Tattoo Details | No known tattoos |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Hair Color | Blonde |
| Parents | Update soon |
| Siblings | Update soon |
| Relationship Status | Married |
| Dating History | Update soon |
| Partner | Douglas Shanks |
| Children | Laura Shanks, Nathaniel “Nat” Shanks, Amy Shanks |
| Highest Qualification | Bachelor’s degree in Economics |
| School | Update soon |
| Alma Mater | Duke University |
| Hobbies & Favorites | Traveling, Reading, Family Time |
| Favorite Celebrities | Update soon |
| Dream Holiday | Update soon |
| Favorite Color | Update soon |
| Interests | Journalism, Social Causes, Family |
| Net Worth | $1.5 million as of 2025 |
| Salary & Earnings | No current salary (retired) |
| @dianawilliamsny | |
| Diana Williams |
Diana Williams and Husband Douglas Shanks
Diana Williams and her husband, Douglas Shanks, have a story that started back in the late 1970s or early ’80s.
The former ABC anchor met Douglas at a time when life was simpler, and before she became a well-known figure on TV.
They started dating, quickly falling head over heels for each other. In fact, on her 27th birthday, Douglas popped the question, and of course, Diana said yes.
Just a few months later, after a whirlwind engagement, the couple tied the knot in a small, intimate ceremony on December 1, 1985, with all their friends and family there to share in the joy.
As of today, Diana and her husband have been married for 39 years.
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Who Is Douglas Shanks?
Douglas Wayne Shanks, Diana’s husband, was born in 1959 in Nashville, Tennessee. That makes him 66 years old today.
He grew up attending Montgomery Bell Academy before heading off to Davidson College.
Later on, he pursued marketing studies at Vanderbilt University.
Once he got his degree, he joined IBM’s marketing department. Nowadays, Douglas and Diana make their home in Rye, New York.
Diana Williams Children
Diana and her spouse Douglas have three children together.
The oldest child, Laura Shanks, who is 35 years old.
Diana and Doug also have a son named Nathaniel Shanks, age 33, who everyone calls “Nat.”
Finally, the couple has their youngest daughter named Amy Shanks.
Their son, Nat, worked as an F-22 pilot for the U.S. Airforce. However, after a near-fatal accident, Nat had to retire from Airforce. He’s now a veteran.
It was these only two men in Diana’s life that moved her world into two different tragic events.
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Douglas Shanks Diagnosed with Cancer
In late 2014, Douglas found out some heavy news.
Doctors discovered he had a rare disease that eventually caused his organs to fail.
At first, Douglas thought his symptoms, difficulty standing, trouble walking, and overall weakness, were just part of getting older.
But it turned out to be amyloidosis, a condition that, in his case, attacked his kidneys.
Douglas was admitted to Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, where he was treated by Dr. Heather Landau.
During this tough time, Diana took several weeks off from work to care for him. Things got so serious that he eventually needed a kidney transplant.
Luckily, a family friend, whom Diana lovingly calls her “family angel”, stepped in to donate her kidney.
Although the surgery went well, Douglas ended up contracting a virus during the transplant and had to spend some time in the ICU.
His condition has stabilized since then, and he’s been in remission, but Diana still worries about the possibility of a relapse.
While this was one tragedy in her life, another one came just in-between everything that was happening with her husband. It was her son.
Diana’s Son Died – Almost
As if one crisis wasn’t enough, 2015 brought another heart-wrenching scare.
While Diana was caring for her husband, she received a phone call that nearly shattered her world.
Her son Nat was involved in a serious accident near his base in Florida.
Nat was riding his motorcycle when a 22-year-old pickup truck driver ran a red light and collided head-on with him.
The crash left him with a fractured eye socket, nose, arms, and pelvis, not to mention internal hemorrhaging.
He lost a significant amount of blood, which led to even more complications.
Doctors told them that Nat had suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although his surgery was a success, he fell into a coma for a while.
When he finally woke up and left the hospital, it was clear he couldn’t return to flying F-22 jets, and he retired from the Air Force at the age of 25.
Nat continues to recover from those near-fatal injuries and now holds veteran status.
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Why Diana Williams Left Job
After more than three decades in journalism, Diana Williams learned a hard lesson about life.
With all that she’d been through, she decided to seize the moment and spend more time with her family.
On Thursday, September 12, 2012, she made her final on-air appearance as an anchor on WABC-7.
Even though the network had offered to extend her contract for many more years, Diana chose to step away.
Her decision was driven by a desire to fully embrace life while she could, especially since her husband’s illness still loomed large. He’s in complete remission now, but his blood tests keep him on a tight schedule every two or three months
“For how long, I don’t know [because] my husband’s illness will come back. There is no cure, but he is in complete remission. His last series of blood tests — he has to get his blood work every two to three months — came back all good. We’ve got this window of opportunity to really enjoy our lives.”
Williams worries for her husband because there’s no cure to the disease he fought while at the brink of death. That’s the sole reason why Diana left and retired from journalism.
She waited five years to retire from journalism because she had to make sure her husband and son would be ok.
Diana Williams Bio, Age, Height
Born on July 18, 1958, in Columbus, Ohio, Diana Williams has had a fascinating career. She’s 66 years old now.
Diana attended Duke University, where she earned a degree in economics in 1980. She kicked off her career with an internship at WTVD and later joined WSOC as a reporter.
Over the years, she worked with several networks including WBTV and WHDH.
In 1991, she joined WABC as a reporter before moving into an anchor role, rubbing shoulders with big names like Bill Beutel and Bill Ritter.
Her work on Dangerous Crossings even earned her an Emmy Award.
Diana wrapped up her nearly 29-year run at ABC when she retired on September 12, 2019.
Diana Williams Salary, Net Worth
During her career, Diana earned over $100,000, but since retiring, she’s no longer drawing a salary. Today, her net worth stands at around $1.5 million.