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Where is Kyron?; Michael Douglas Announces He Has Cancer

Aired August 18, 2010 - 21:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Tonight on the JOY BEHAR SHOW, new developments in the disappearance of 7-year-old, Kyron Horman. An eye-witness claims the boy`s step-mother was exhibiting on behavior the day Kyron went missing. Will thing bring authorities closer to finding him?

Then, Sandy speaks. Sandra Bullock tells "People" magazine she has moved on from Jesse James and that wishes him the best in his move to Texas. There`s a reason she`s called America`s sweetheart.

Plus, what happens when you bow out of the rat race and try to simplify your life? We`ll speak to a couple who found happiness by downsizing their lives. That and more starting right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RENE SYLER, HOST: Welcome to the JOY BEHAR SHOW. I`m Rene Syler. We begin tonight with the continued search for missing 7-year-old, Kyron Horman. DeDe Spicher is defending the boy`s step-mom, Terri Horman, telling "People" magazine that she doesn`t believe her friend Teri had anything to do with Kyron`s disappearance and has nothing to hide.

Meantime, a witness claims Teri displayed some odd behavior during an encounter at the day Kyron went missing. Joining me the latest on this case is Bruce McCain, attorney and the former captain of the local sheriff`s office where Kyron disappeared, Buzz Von Ornsteiner, forensic psychologist, and Jane Velez-Mitchell, host of HLN "Issues with Jane Velez- Mitchell."

Jane, let me start with you, DeDe Spicher is the friend of Terri Horman. She is defending Terri, and what is she saying exactly?

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST, "ISSUES": Rene, DeDe Spicher takes the idea of BFF, best friend forever, to a whole new level. She is fiercely loyal to step-mom Terri Horman, who was the woman watching the child when the child vanished. And she`s telling "People" magazine, I have never seen anything. I`ve known this woman for years. Nothing would indicate she would ever do anything to this child.

However, a lot of people say, wait a second. Terri has done some very, very weird things. The little boy`s dad, Terri`s husband, now as strange says that cops hold him months before the child disappeared, Terri tried to hire a hit man allegedly to have him killed.

And that as soon as he left her, Terri began texting an old high school buddy of his and even sent this whole high school buddy sexually graphic photos, allegedly, of herself to him. So, she has done some very, very bizarre things, and she`s reportedly failed two polygraphs as well.

SYLER: So, we`re getting two completely different pictures from different side. DeDe is saying one thing and then the police are saying something completely different.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, police actually aren`t saying anything, and it`s very weird. They`re kind of using the missing child`s parents to send these messages because we`re learning about all these in court documents that the parents have filed, that they always say, cops told us all these things. So, cops are kind of using the parents as mouth pieces, which some people find kind of controversial.

SYLER: Yes. Bruce, DeDe says, DeDe is the friend, and she says that she was working on this large piece of property that she owns. She was there all day, and yet, there was a report out of a local newspaper there that says there was a 90-minute period of time where she actually wasn`t there or was unaccounted for, I guess. What do you make of that discrepancy?

BRUCE MCCAIN, FMR. CAPT. MULTNOMAH CO. SHERIFF`S OFFICE: Well, Rene, actually, she didn`t actually own that property. She was hired out by the owners to do some gardening. In fact, the owners are indicating that the time gap might have been even longer as long as three hours from 10:00 to 1:00. And the significant, of course, is that this is on Friday, June 4th, the very day Kyron goes missing.

That also overlaps with the time of period in that late mid-morning in which Terri is unaccounted for. Now, the investigators know that Terri was at a couple of Fred Meyer stores. Terri has gone out of her way to make sure that they knew where she was, but there`s still a gap there. After these "People" magazine thing, as Jane just mentioned, now you know why DeDe Spicher has now joined Terri Horman`s photograph on the posters that being circulated in this community.

SYLER: Jane, let me go back to you for a quick second here because he mentioned something about this woman, Terri Horman, had spent some time at a couple of stores in town.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

SYLER: And one of those stores, she had an encounter with someone who described her behavior as odd.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. It was very strange because this was a very, very casual slight acquaintance. And when she ran into her at this department store on the morning of the child`s disappearance, Terri was suddenly like, oh, very buddy-buddy and insisted on talking to her and insisted made a point of showing her a photograph that she had just taken of the little boy at the science fair.

So, why did she do that? That`s the big question. Again, she`s not a suspect or a person of interest, but was she trying to establish an alibi even before anybody knew the child was missing, because nobody has reported the child missing at that point.

SYLER: Because they weren`t close, it would be odd that she would be sort of divulging all this information. Doctor, let me ask you this, the mom said, the biological mother, the parents believe that perhaps Terri might be stashing the boy. The father thinks that perhaps she`s executing a plot. Can you take us into the mind of what`s happening here? It sounds like the family dynamic is very convoluted to say the least.

BUZZ VON ORNSTEINER, FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: I think when any time a child is abducted or child disappears, everybody becomes very emotionally wrought with pain, and we look for blame. We look for choices of who could have taken that child. It`s almost a natural process. We blame ourselves. We blame the people that were closest to the child. And in this situation, we have a marriage. We have a conflicted marriage.

We have a marriage that`s seeking a separation. And a step mother. And we know biological parents are generally the better parent in terms of psychological statistics. Step-mothers sometimes view a child as an obstacle to the marriage or step-mothers sometimes feel that the step-child is an emotional burden or a financial burden. But, aside from that, this is a woman that seems to have somewhat of a dramatic nature and seems to be somewhat impulsive in what she says and how she act.

And so, we look for blame. Parents look for blame. People look for answers. They look for solutions very quickly, and they`re ruled by emotions. When your child is missing, when your child is gone, I assure you, it goes straight to your heart. It`s a crime of the heart. Your emotions are being pulled and excuse your perception. You`re not necessarily, always, the best judge of where that child is or who could have abducted your child. That`s all I`m saying, psychologically.

SYLER: Yes. Speaking of children, I had to turn to another case that we`ve been following lately. This is the one in South Carolina. This is the mother, Shaquan Duley. She was arraigned in court today, charged with the murder of her two small children. Now, her family and neighbors are speaking out. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENISE DULEY, SHAQUAN DULEY`S COUSIN: I don`t know what goes on inside her home, but as far as from the outside, it looked like she took care of her kids.

SHANNON STAMOS, SHAQUAN DULEY`S NEIGHBOR: Anytime, I`ve ever seen her here, I`ve passed her at a gas station or something, she`s had the baby with her or really always seemed like just a good mother from what I`ve been understand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SYLER: Shaquan Duley was in court today. Jane, tell us what happened.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: She was wearing prison orange. She was sniffling and sobbing, and she went in there and did not enter a plea, which is a little surprising. It was her arraignment. She`s facing two counts of murder for the killing of her own children, two young boys, ages one and two. Her attorney indicates if she does enter a plea, it will also probably be not guilty, which is strange because she has, according to cops, confessed to this crime.

Originally, she said her car went off the road into a river with her two young boys inside and then there were many inconsistencies. She wasn`t drenched in water. She went very far away to report and get help. And so, they confronted her, and she then confessed that she intentionally suffocated these two children in a motel and then strapped them dead into their child seats and then put them in the car and then pushed that car into the river.

SYLER: Yes. We also heard from the coroner today. And as you said, she confessed to suffocating these kids. And the coroner added another detail, if you will. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMUETTA MARSHALL, ORANGEBURG CO. CORONER: The older one did have a few defense wounds. Indicators that he, too, was struggling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SYLER: Doctor, how does a mother do that? I mean, she`s not rational. She`s had a break with reality. How do you smother your own child, especially, if they`re struggling? And I don`t understand it.

VON ORNSTEINER: When these crimes happen, the mother is usually in isolation. And in this situation, she`s in a hotel room. The way these crimes don`t happen is when there`s a support service there, when there`s a caregiver in the other room, whether there`s a brother, there`s a sister, there`s a mother, there`s a boyfriend, there`s a father, someone is there to intervene so that the mother is alone.

We like to think of all mothers as being nurturing, caregivers and protectors of their child. But when a mother is suffering from mental illness, post-partum depression, or she has mood disorder, or in fact, it could be substance abuse, she is not acting in a rational, logical sense.

SYLER: Do you think that`s what happened here?

VON ORNSTEINER: What I`m saying is -- not necessarily that is substance abuse, but I think mental illness does need to be examined. When a person is out of control emotionally, they`re seeking control. They want to be in control, but they`re helpless. And this woman clearly needed services.

But where were those services coming from? Did she have a perception services were readily available to her? Did she feel her mother would have been the person to help her get psychological intervention? Or did she feel that she had a perception that there were no choices? That`s what I`m seeing in many of these --

SYLER: It sounds like she and her mother had a very difficult relationship. It sounds like the mother had been berating her for her ability or lack of providing for the children. Bruce, do you think that she understood right from wrong? And I understand this is a stretch, and we`re all on the outside looking in on this, but what`s your opinion on this?

MCCAIN: There`s no question that her mental state is going to be evaluated, both from the prosecution and the defense. A lot of time also (ph), is this going to be a public defender case in South Carolina? If so, nothing against public defenders, but she may not have the resources to hire necessary the best experts. That will definitely be a case.

Rene, I can`t help but contrast this tragic, horrible South Carolina case with what`s happening here in my backyard with Kyron. As horrible as that case is, we got a relatively neat tidy, murder case, a confession, a suspect. We know what happened to the kids. The (INAUDIBLE) has already done their job, and as sad as this may sound, I think we`re still going to be talking about Kyron weeks after we forgotten about the South Carolina case.

SYLER: Jane, you know, we talked yesterday. There is a 5-year-old child, the woman, Shaquan Duley, has a 5-year-old daughter as well and her mother, Shaquan Duley`s mother has said, she`s going to raise that girl as her own. Does that sound like it`s a good idea given the strike sounds that was going on in that house and what the 5-year-old may have seen?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I will say this, that this 5-year-old is going to have a tremendous trauma as she learns what happened to her two younger siblings. And so, the only constant that she may have in her life at this point given that her mother is probably going to go either the prison or mental institution is that grandmother. They were all living with the grandmother.

So, the three kids, the suspect, and the suspect`s mom were living together. And that is, you know, a hotbed. That can sometimes -- there`s nobody that can push your buttons more than your mother sometimes. And it was her mother`s comments and complaints about her child-rearing activities or lack thereof that apparently sparked this killing.

SYLER: Yes. These are sad stories all the way around. You, guys, thank you so much for your insights.

The latest on these stories, be sure to watch "Issues" with Jane Velez-Mitchell every night at 7:00 here on HLN. We`re back in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Coming up a little later on the JOY BEHAR SHOW, Sandra Bullock speaks out. The actress is now saying she wishes her ex, Jesse James, only the best and is even welcoming him to her home town of Austin.

And actress turned Jenny Craig`s spokesperson Sara Rue, drops by to talk about how she managed to lose 50 pounds. Now back to the show.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SYLER: When Michael Douglas announced this week that he was undergoing eight weeks of radiation and chemotherapy to treat throat cancer, it reminded all of us that the big "C" can hit anyone anytime. There`s even a new show time series with that topic entitled the "Big C" about how suddenly the disease can strike and how dealing with it, even with humor can bring you strength.

With me now are two ladies who fought their own battles with cancer. Hoda Kotb, co-anchor of the 4th hour of the "Today" show and Martina Navratilova, tennis legend and AARP Health and Fitness Ambassador, and joining them is Dr. Marissa Weiss, president and founder of breastcancer.org. Welcome ladies.

SYLER: Dr. Weiss, let me start with you, Dr. Weiss, because it was so shocking to hear this about Michael Douglas. He`s an actor who`s livelihood really depends on his face and his voice. Is it possible that he could lose his voice?

DR. MARISSA WEISS, BREASTCANCER.ORG: I think it`s likely he`ll keep his voice after the chemotherapy and radiation are given together, and he has a chance to heal. The whole point of that treatment is to preserve his larynx, his voice box and allow him to be who he is, this amazing actor with the voice that gives us a lot of comfort and does a great job with all these different roles.

But there`s a possibility that if treatments were not to work, that type of surgery were the loss of that important function could happen. But hopefully, it has been caught early enough and it will respond well to the treatment.

SYLER: All right. He is really just the latest celebrity to be diagnosed with cancer. We remember just recently Michael C. Hall. He went through a very public battle with cancer as well. Hoda, do you think it`s more difficult as a public person to go through a cancer diagnosis and treatment?

HODA KOTB, CO-ANCHOR, 4TH HOUR OF "TODAY": I think it is a little more difficult because often people see you as the breast cancer girl. And I was a little worried I have to say when I was deciding whether or not to talk about this publicly because it was one of those things that sometimes you like to put stuff deep in your pockets and just take it with you.

And there was one day where I decided, you know what, I can either do something, say something, and help someone or I can put my stuff in my pockets and live my own life and not say a word. And I guess, you don`t realize how many people, and you know this yourself, how many people you sort of touch just by telling your story. It`s an easy thing that we can do. We have a platform. We just have a voice.

SYLER: It`s funny you should mention that because I remember hearing about your cancer. I don`t know if you remember this, but I had a prophylactic mastectomy. I had a family history of cancer. I had not breast cancer but the stage right before breast cancer. I went through my surgery, and I documented. I was on Oprah, and I saw you at an event and you said, I was recovering from my surgery when you were on Oprah, and that`s the first I`ve heard that you had breast cancer.

KOTB: I won`t forget when I say you because I thought, you`re so brave. You`re standing up there and you`re saying something. And you also don`t realize when you go through something like breast cancer or anything like this. What kind of power and weird strength this gives you to take other steps in your life, because, you know, I was one of those people who waited to be noticed and I was always kind of that girl.

And I decided after that diagnosis, after I felt better, I was going to go to my bosses and say, you know what, I`d like a promotion. I want to try something new. You get this strength that you never knew you had because of something that you never wish you had.

SYLER: Martina, do you agree with that? That this cancer diagnosis and treatment and what have you can really sort of empower you and propel you to great things in your life?

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA, TENNIS LEGEND: Well, I think my greatest things are already behind me, but either way, I think what really struck me is how strong women are and the power of women going through the treatment. Half the women in the radiation where I was getting it, they had their wigs on because they`re going through chemo as well. And the strength that came through. So, I think women are strong, anyway, but of course, when it gets through something like this, who`s going to get you now.

SYLER: You know, I don`t understand, though, you, Martina, and Hoda are like the pictures of health. It`s shocking to hear that you would be dealing with a cancer diagnosis. And I`m always curious about what do people think when the doctor sit you down and says, you have cancer. What was going through your mind, Martina, when you heard that?

NAVRATILOVA: I`m sitting about four meters from where I was standing when I got the call. And when my doctor and friend, Mindy said, it`s positive. First thing was, oh that`s good, positive. I`m like, no, that`s not good. And I sat down. And I sat down and like what does that mean? I cried for about, I don`t know, ten or 15 seconds, but then I`m like, OK, what do we do?

And so, it scared the heck out of me, but at the same time, I immediately got into the solution. And the options were -- the possibilities were chemo or radiation or both and mastectomy or lumpectomy. And as it turns out, the next day, I want to see my surgeon, and she said, no just a lumpectomy and just radiation. So, I feel like I really lucked out.

SYLER: You, guys, I`m going to get you just a second, Dr. Weiss, because I`m going to take a quick break here. These two ladies had very different treatments, and we`re going to talk about that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SYLER: And I`m back with my panel. Dr. Weiss, I`d like to start with you on this. I hear in all of the speaking I do to women about breast cancer. The one thing that they always seem to be surprised as they say, I don`t have a family history, so I`m OK when, in fact, really only 10 percent or 15 percent of cases really have a family history involved. Isn`t that right?

WEISS: That`s absolutely true. And even if you do have a family history or a known genetic abnormality that you were born with, that still doesn`t give you breast cancer. So, breast cancer occurs through this whole interaction between sort of your outside environment and your inside environment inside your body.

What you`re eating, what you`re drinking, what you`re breathing in, the personal products you`re using, the medicines you`re taking, things in your lawn, things in your house. They can all interact to contribute to the risk of breast cancer. And family history is just one factor. Most women who get breast cancer, as you said, Rene, don`t have a strong family history.

SYLER: That`s the thing that I really want people to take away from this is that everybody`s at risk. The biggest risk factors that I understand are being a woman and getting older. Hoda, let me ask you because you and Martina had very different treatment. You opted for mastectomy --

KOTB: I actually didn`t have a choice. They said you have one option, and I sort of like when they only give you one choice, because sometimes like you have several options, pick one, they also the same thing to me. You have to have a mastectomy. And I did one that involved a tummy tuck. They actually you`re your belly fat up. When they said the word tummy tuck, I said, I`ll take whatever that`s the option I want.

They reconstruct you and they do it all with your own stuff. And actually, I just felt so good and healthy ever since. And again, family history, I have no family history. I ate apples. I run in Central Park, you know. And once you get diagnosed, you go to the hospital, and the only thing they ask me is, are you on birth which I was at that time and do you have family history?

There are no other questions that you would think would get to the root because I do want to know why. I mean, who doesn`t want to know, did I eat something? Did I live under power lines? Was it`s something in the air? We want to know these things, but I think we`re so worried about zapping it and poisoning it and killing it after it`s already there as opposed to figuring out how it got there, in the first.

SYLER: And Martina, you just finished your treatment in June or July?

NAVRATILOVA: June. Yes. Middle of June. I had six weeks of radiation. Yes.

SYLER: Yes, and you look great. You feel fine?

NAVRATILOVA: Make-up does wonderful things. I feel great. I mean, I was cancer free since the lumpectomy in March. So, I never felt anything. It was just such a shock to the system that what really shocked me is when I found out I had cancer. That first week I was physically wasted. I could not do anything.

When I played tennis, I had to rest every five minutes because I was so tired, physically, from the emotional bombshell, but I`ve been cancer free, and I`m back to normal. I just like to get rid of some fat in my butt, but I`m not sure this is not quite a good option.

SYLER: Yes. Right. Right.

WEISS: It`s an inspiration to hear all of you. I mean, you`ve all been such an inspiration to the people I take care of, Rene. I remember you`re going through that whole thing, and you`d rising up after you hear those words, you know, you have breast cancer. As Martina said, you get stunned.

You`ve gotten stung by the biggest bee and you just have to rise up, fill your strength, reach out to your sources of support and learn what you can do in your everyday life to be as healthy as possible because there really are so many opportunities to be healthy.

SYLER: Yes. Ladies, thank you so much. You`ve been a wonderful testament to the fact that just because you have cancer doesn`t mean -- a cancer diagnosis is that the thing as meaning you`re going to die, and I`m just so happy. You look fantastic, Martina. You, guys, are great. Thank you.

NAVRATILOVA: Thank you, Rene. Thanks very much.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Coming up a little later on the JOY BEHAR SHOW, an Oregon couple gives away almost everything they own in hopes that downsizing to a simpler life will bring them happiness.

And "Less Than Perfect" star, Sara Rue drops by to talk about how she`s lost 50 pounds since signing on as a Jenny Craig`s spokesperson.

Now back to the show.

SYLER: Sandra Bullock still has kind works for her ex, speaking out in support for Jesse James as he prepares to move to her adopted home town of Austin, Texas. She told "People" magazine, quote, "I support Jesse in his move to Austin. We have both moved on in our lives and we only want the best for each other. Anything else that is said on my behalf is inaccurate." Here now with the latest on their story is Alexis Chiu staff writer for "People." Hi,

ALEXIS CHIU, STAFF WRITER FOR "PEOPLE": Hi Rene.

SYLER: Wow, she is an amazing woman. I can`t imagine after all that`s she`s been through at the hands of her ex-husband, that she still has kind words for him.

CHIU: Isn`t it sort of amazing? She-you know back when she announced that she had this baby, she split was fresh and raw. Everyone expected that she was just sort of going to hide her head forever and just be filled with venom. Even back then, she was saying, I want to co-parent. He`s a great father, you know, I want to forgive him. So she has not stopped surprising us.

SYLER: Wow she said he was a great father. Which seemed like -- we saw a completely different picture it seemed like in all the reports we were hearing. So what do we know about his move to Austin? Is he moving to be closer to her. Although now we know she splits a good time in New Orleans.

CHIU: She does. She splits her time between various homes in New Orleans and Austin, sometimes Los Angeles. But you know with regards to his moves, it depends on who you ask. Jesse has said she`s moving for work. He has a lot of business there. The Austin Speed Shop and he wants to pay attention to it. He`s also said that he wants to get his kids out of - sort of the paparazzi cesspool of Los Angeles area, so that`s what he said. But sources has told us ever since he decided to move a few months ago, that being near Sandra Bullock is a huge reason that you know he wants to be in Austin, he wants his kids to be near them. They have grown to love her. And he wants to be near her too.

SYLER: Do you think he is trying to get back in her good graces? And that that will lead to them to get back together? She`s pretty much closed the door on that, hasn`t she? But is he hoping for that?

CHIU: Well I think sources close to Jesse have maintained throughout that he would like nothing more than to have her back one day and to earn her respect again and be with her. She has closed the door. She got -- filed for divorce and it came through in June. So she`s pretty much made it clear where she`s at. Everyone seems to think he wants to get back together with her which is why his last weekend in Vegas sort of throws a wrench in that, it has some eyebrows raised.

SYLER: Yes, yes, tell us about this because he spends the weekend in Vegas with Kat Von D. She`s of course, all inked up from you know her show, "LA INK," and she tweeted just recently, yes in fact, they are dating, even though there were reports to the contrary. So it doesn`t sound like he`s really trying to get back with Sandra right?

CHIU: You know a source close to Jesse told us just today that he -- people in his life have been urging him to move on. You know his kids are always his number one priority. Maybe he`d love to be with Sandra in the long term, who wouldn`t? But for now he needs to, you know, stop fixating. Get on with his life. And I think, perhaps, this weekend in Vegas with Kat Von D. Both of them are single, she`s divorced. He`s divorced. They apparently spent a really cozy, cuddly weekend in Vegas going to steak dinners and seeing shows and things.

SYLER: Maybe a tattoo shop?

CHIU: Maybe he`s moving on in his own way. Maybe a tattoo shop or two. And they`re both body art enthusiasts, so --

SYLER: Right, I want to go back to baby Louis. This is the baby that Sandra adopted. The adoption came through it was finalized last week. And she is going to raise him as a single parent?

CHIU: Yes. She has maintained since the very beginning she was going to raise him as a sing parent. She started the process four years ago with Jesse. But as soon as she learned of his infidelities, and left the house, they changed the paperwork and said she was going to be moving forward with the adoption as a single parent. Nothing has changed. He was fine with that or he at least allowed it to happen. And said at the time that he thought it was in the best interest of everyone involved. And now it became official. It`s done. It`s a done deal. She`s the mom. And so nothing has changed.

SYLER: And sources say she`s happy, fulfilled. I mean she`s been through a lot - a lot just in the last six moths or so.

CHIU: Oh, yes. A roller coaster doesn`t start to describe it. Can you imagine the highs and lows this woman has had since winning the Oscars, and then finding out her husband was unfaithful and leaving him. But finally this adoption coming through. It has been a roller coaster but she is by all accounts so, so happy. She`s in a great place right now. She`s surrounding herself with her friends and family. The ones that kept that secret all those months when she brought the baby home. But Louis is he apple of her eye. She adores mommyhood. Everyone says she`s a natural. And she`s just basking in it. She`s not working right now. She`s spending the summer with Louis.

SYLER: Yes she`s working. Spending the summer with Louis.

CHIU: That is work, you are right.

SYLER: That`s true, Alexis, thanks so much, appreciate it.

CHIU: Thanks.

SYLER: Well it`s an age-old question. Does money truly buy happiness? Tammy Strobel and Logan Smith, a young married couple from Portland, Oregon, they made the decision to down-size, moving to a apartment, selling their cars, and giving up most of their worldly possessions in hopes of enjoying their lives more. With me now to talk about the joys of living with less are Tammy Strobel and Logan Smith. Hi, you guys.

TAMMY STROBEL, "DOWNSIZED" HER LIFE: Hi. Thanks for having us.

SYLER: Yes you know so I`m reading your story. And I understand cutting down and all of that stuff. But you guys cut, cut to the bone really. Why did you do it? Tammy, tell me why.

STROBEL: Well you know there are a lot of reasons. The down-sizing process didn`t happen overnight. It took a number of years. But really it was mainly financial. We were deep in debt, unhappy in our jobs and wanted to focus on building strong relationships and getting reconnected with your community.

SYLER: And with one another I`m assuming, Logan?

LOGAN SMITH, "DOWNSIZED" HIS LIFE: Yes, absolutely. Actually, we started with our expenses being less with not having the cars and not having to go out recreational shopping and that sort of thing. We were able to spend more time with each other and our friends by working less and needing less money to pay our bills.

SYLER: So you got rid of your cars and moved to a small apartment. How big is the apartment?

STROBEL: Our apartment is about 400 square feet. It`s a really large studio.

SYLER: So you do that. You limited yourselves, as I understand to 100 items each, right?

STROBEL: Uh-huh, right.

SYLER: And 100 seems so -- my gosh, it doesn`t seem like very much. It seems arbitrary. How did you come up with that number?

STROBEL: Well we were inspired by a gentleman named Dave Bruno. He started the 100 thing challenge. The 100 thing challenge is arbitrary. It`s really just an exercise to figure out what do you need in your life. What stuff makes you happy? What doesn`t? From there, you can trim the fat.

SYLER: Are you happy, Logan? Can you say without cars and living in a small apartment where you can`t get away from each other, are you happy?

SMITH: Absolutely. We`re so much more happier now because we have a lot less fights about money. Really, there`s a lot to be said for living with less. And really, there`s a lot of positive psychology that`s investigating that really having more things and having more choices doesn`t necessarily lead to more happiness. Really there`s a certain threshold. Once you reach that threshold, that`s where happiness is. And once you get beyond that enough point, then it really starts to negatively affect your overall happiness. We feel that empirically -- emotionally we`ve found this point for ourselves. And for us it`s about 100 things each.

SYLER: Whose idea was it to down-size like this? Did you come upon this together?

STROBEL: Well it was actually Logan`s idea first. And I was very resistant. And then I started doing a lot of reading and talking with friends and family. I was like, I think he`s on to something. Then we went full steam ahead and are very happy. So life is good.

SYLER: Logan, what did your friends and family say when you said, we`re going to down-size and get rid of our cars and walk or ride a bike everywhere? What did they say?

SMITH: Initially, I think they thought it was a fad. Eventually, over a period of years, they`ve accepted it`s just who we are now. At first, they thought we were a little eccentric about it. When they see we were $30,000 in debt and both graduated from graduate school with zero debt, now they think we might be on to something.

SYLER: Wait so you guys were $30,000 in debt. Then you get yourself out of that hole and went on to graduate school and complete graduate school with no debt. That`s where you are right now, with no debt?

SMITH: Correct.

STROBEL: Uh-huh.

SYLER: Wow that`s impressive, tell me what is a typical Friday night like for you guys? Do you go to the movies or do you buy a bottle of wine and hang out in your apartment?

STROBEL: Well it really depends. We`ve been spending a lot of time outside and doing it a lot of bike camping. So basically loading up with our bike camping stuff and heading to the fantastic Oregon parks. And it`s really fun.

SYLER: Do you think Logan -

SMITH: We also enjoy a picnic.

SYLER: Yes Logan do you think you will you be able to continue this on if you have a family, children?

SMITH: We`re not planning on having children. But I think anyone who has children can do this. Although it`s going to be a little bit different. It`s basically about the philosophy. And I think we together can carry on this philosophy as our life changes, because we`re really focusing on what makes us happy, and what is important in our lives and that`s relationships and people and experiences and a lot less about stuff.

SYLER: Yes, good idea, all right, thanks. More power to you.

STROBEL: Thank you.

SMITH: Thank you.

SYLER: Speaking of down-size, actress Sara Rue recently dropped 50 pounds. She`ll tell us how, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA RUE, JENNY CRAIG SPOKESPERSON: Not wanting to leave the house some days because I`m so uncomfortable in my own skin isn`t normal.

Wow, I remember that day, but look at me now. I`m in my skinny jeans and I feel fantastic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SYLER: She feels fantastic and lose fantastic. Actress Sara Rue has battled her weight like so many of us do and she is clearly winning. Losing 50 pounds and reintroducing herself to a healthy relationship with food. Joining me now is Ashley and Jenny Craig`s spokesperson, Sara Rue. Hi, Sara.

RUE: Hi. How are you?

SYLER: I`m good. You look fantastic. You say you lost 50 pounds. That`s a lot of weight. How did you lose that and how long did it take?

RUE: It took seven months and two days, not that I`m counting. And I did it with Jenny Craig. I called my consultant and trusted her and listened to what she said and did everything she said. I kind of surrendered, you know. I had fought this sort of battle with food and my weight my whole life. I got to a point where I was like, I call uncle, I give. Just tell me what to do because clearly I`m not good at this. And I found someone amazing in the Jenny Craig program named Michelle, who is my consultant, who I love. And she told me what to do. We created a program that was right for me. And I did it. I listened.

SYLER: Well we see you there exercising. So exercise is also a big part of it. It wasn`t just about the eating but also the exercise.

RUE: Absolutely. That is Christopher Ross Lane, who is the Jenny Craig fitness consultant. And he is also my trainer. And he`s amazing. I love him. He`s getting me ready for my first half marathon.

SYLER: Oh, my.

RUE: Those are my dogs in the background.

SYLER: Oh my wait, first half marathon. That`s 13.2 miles. Wow. That`s amazing.

RUE: Thirteen point one, oh, point-two? Yes, I mean -- I`ve run nine. Nine is my longest so far. So I feel like - they say if you can run eight, you can probably do the full 13. So I feel confident that I won`t collapse on the course.

SYLER: Yes, OK, good luck, you said you that you contacted Jenny Craig because you felt like, I can`t do this on my own. Why is that? Were you an emotional eater? What were your food issues? And had they been sort of lifelong?

RUE: Uh huh, I`ve always had issues with food. I`ve always had issues with my weight my whole life. Definitely an emotional eater. I feel like it was more a mental issue for me than a physical one. And I called Jenny Craig because they have this personal consultant that you can sort of help guide you through. Yes, it had been something I had been battling my whole life. And I just wanted to make a change. And I read somewhere that they were really into like lifestyle changes as opposed to just a diet. And I didn`t really feel like I wanted another diet. I felt like I really wanted to do something that was going to last for the rest of my life. I`m engaged. And I - you know, we want to have a family. And I don`t want to pass on my food issues to my children. And I just wanted to kind of take care of it, you know. That`s what I hope I`ve done.

SYLER: So in other words, you change the way you actually think about food. You are saying I`m not going on a diet. This is actually a lifestyle change. Were you at all worried about doing this publicly? Sometimes when you put yourself out there, I mean what if you fail?

RUE: Oh, yes. Oh, yes, trust me. I was very worried about it. I think terrified would be the appropriate word. Yes, I was not a great candidate I don`t think for doing something like this publicly. I think Jenny Craig took a leap of faith in me because it wasn`t like I had been thin all my life and put on a little weight and I was going to get rid of it very quickly. I mean it was a life-long struggle. It was an emotional struggle for me. So for them to put their faith in me was incredible. And when I started, I wanted to lose 30 pounds. Because it seemed like it was something sort of achievable. And something -- even though it`s a lot of weight, it wasn`t like so much weight. And then if I lost the 30 and it was really hard and I didn`t feel like I could continue on in the public eye, I could be just like, yes, I did it. I`m done and then slowly slip into obscurity. But then it was going so well and it was such a great program. And I kind of loved doing it. I loved how I was feeling. And I could really feel an emotional shift. And I started feeling happier and more sort of calm.

SYLER: Wow.

RUE: And I`m a really different person in a lot of ways. Like I feel like I kept the good parts and lost the bad. And more - you know I mean that more in terms of my emotional state than physical.

SYLER: Right well let me ask you this because I think that this is something that people at home can relate to. People know what it`s like to lose weight. And that`s really only half the battle. The other half is to keep it off. And we saw some high-profile people lose weight and then put it back on. What is the motivation and how do you keep the weight off because when you`re losing, you know, you`re being motivated by seeing the number get smaller and smaller. But once you`re not there anymore, isn`t that difficult?

RUE: Yes. It is. I`m finding my way. I feel maintenance for me will be a very sort of personal thing. Like I`m going to figure out what works and what doesn`t and it`s going to be trial and error. I talked about Christopher Ross Lane, who - you know who`s my trainer. And I started really working out hard once I sort of hit 40 pounds lost. I was just really walking and doing cardio before that. But tow I`m training. And I feel like, you know, I`m kind of an athlete now. I like it. I like the fact that I`m active. You know the other day my fiance and I were -- we both had the afternoon off and we were like, what do we want to do? And we went and played tennis. And that`s not something I would have done before. And I think that feeds into the whole lifestyle change that I`ve made. So I`m really hoping that the physical aspects, like how much I`m exercising and how much I`m enjoying that will help me keep the weight off. I mean the only time I plan to gain weight anyone is when I get pregnant. So --

SYLER: Oh OK and you said fiance. When is the -- wedding coming up soon? You want to look great in your wedding gown.

RUE: Uh huh, well, that`s my other motivation. I mean who doesn`t want to look amazing on their wedding day?

SYLER: Sure.

RUE: And so we`re planning a spring wedding. I`m really looking forward to it. I think it will be everything. I hope it will be everything I`ve ever dreamed of, you know. He`s great so that`s taken care of.

SYLER: Well it`s going to be awesome and you`re going to it look fantastic. You already do. Thank you so much for joining us and congratulations on your success.

RUE: Thank you, thank you so much for having me.

SYLER: All right we`ll be back in a minute.

NANCY GRACE, HLN ANCHOR: Hello. Stay with us, friends. We are seeking justice.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SYLER: She`s won 59 grand slam titles and was named one of the top 40 athletes of all time by "Sports Illustrated." Martina Navratilova may be over 50, but she`s not letting her age slow her down. The tennis star is taking on a new role as AARP`s new fitness and health ambassador. Welcome back to the show.

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA, AARP`S HEALTH AND FITNESS AMBASSADOR: Thank you.

SYLER: I mean I feel 50 now is not the same as 50 was you know say 30 years ago. I mean you`re still active, you are strong, you are exercising. You are doing all the things that you`ve done all your entire life. Is that one of the messages that you want to get out as a fitness and health ambassador?

NAVRATILOVA: Absolutely. I mean I try to get the most out of the time that I have here. And I love doing all the other sports. I like much more doing the sport rather than going to the gym. If all else fails, I`ll go to the gym. But I`d rather play softball, go play. The problem is when you get older, you still think you are 20 but your body knows it`s not 20. So you have to make allowances for that. I really advocate people to be more active more often and don`t sit out one week or two weeks at a time where you don`t do anything. But if you do a sport that you haven`t done for a while, you will get sore. I played in the softball tournament this weekend. I played seven games in two days and you know, I had to take a couple of days off after that. Because my quads are talking to me. But it`s so much fun to be active. And I know I just feel so much better. My body really craves it. I mean much better mood. All the people around me, my friends say please go exercise. I`m a much happier person when I get active. So absolutely advocate it. And of course, on top of that, it`s good for you on the inside. It`s good for you on the outside. So everybody wins.

SYLER: Do you think that there`s a culturally shift, I don`t know, that people of a certain age are more willing to embrace exercise because they`ve done it their whole lives?

NAVRATILOVA: Well I don`t know if we`re more active now. But I think we`re active later in our lives. Again, being active is obviously so good for you. And that`s where AARP really concentrates on the prevention bit rather than trying to fix something before it goes wrong. We really concentrate on the prevention angle. And that`s where I come in because that`s what I`m all about is being active and being healthy so you prevent that sickness from coming in. But I think now it`s not uncommon to see women and men running marathons at 60 and 70 years old and they look fabulous. And so why not?

SYLER: Is that on top for you? You said you play softball. Would you try a marathon?

NAVRATILOVA: Uh you know that`s a little too far for me. I was involved in a triathlon and I like biking. But running for that long, I don`t know. To each his own. I`m more like a speedster. So I`ll play basketball until I can`t move any more or hockey. But long distances isn`t quite my cup of tea. But you know, to each his own, the thing is to find what you really love doing and stick to that. Do that. Don`t say, I`m too old for that. No, you`re not. Absolutely not. That`s what I like about the folks at AARP because they do believe in that. And so --

SLYER: It feels like you get old when you stop moving. Speaking of movement though, the U.S. Open, there`s going to be a lot of movement on the court. That`s starting up soon. Will you be there?

NAVRATILOVA: At the U.S. Open, I`ll be the commentating for Tennis Channel and Jimmy Connors also be there with me in the booth. And also, I think playing - they have a older team tennis matches for the older generation and I`ll be calling the matches from the road gun. So I`m looking forward to that very much.

SLYER: Well we are going to be looking forward to watching you there as well and hearing - and watching you as you are the ambassador for the AARP health and fitness. Thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it.

NAVRATILOVA: All right, thank for having me, OK thank you.

SYLER: Thank you, everyone, for watching tonight. Have a good night.

END