Jenna Bush Hager is calling her husband a “hero” after he jumped into action to save a woman’s life.
The incident occurred Wednesday night when Jenna and her husband, Henry, were having a quiet dinner at a restaurant with Henry’s mom.
“We sit down, we’re having a lovely little conversation,” Jenna told co-host Hoda Kotb on Thursday on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna.
Jenna said she was sitting with her back to the restaurant, while Henry sat facing outward.
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“All of a sudden, he says, ‘That woman is choking!’ Jenna said. “He gets up, he runs over, and he gives a woman the Heimlich maneuver for, it felt like it was 10 minutes.”
Jenna said some other people came over to help as Henry continued to try to save the woman.
“He continued, and other men were helping him, and I could tell he thought it wasn’t working, and he was saying, ‘Guys, keep going, keep going, keep going!’” Jenna said. “And she survived. 911 arrived.”
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Hoda marveled at Henry’s quick thinking during the crisis. Jenna agreed, adding that Henry drew upon his instincts and training from his Eagle Scout days.
“People were saying to him, like, ‘Are you a doctor?’And he was like, ‘No, I was an Eagle Scout,’” she recalled with a laugh.
In a remarkable coincidence, Jenna revealed that her dad, former President George W. Bush, was involved in a similar incident in the 1970s.
Jenna said her dad was giving a speech at an event when he noticed a woman in the crowd choking.
“He jumped off the podium, because he’s the only one who had the view of her, and did the Heimlich and saved her life,” Jenna said.
Hoda was moved by both stories, and had some sweet words for Jenna.
“The fact that both of the men in your life, the most important men in your life, get up, go over, and do the thing — that’s everything,” Hoda said.
“I texted (Henry) this morning, and I was like, ‘You are my hero,’” Jenna replied, growing emotional. “He is. What a good guy. He’s not just going to sit back and watch something bad happen. He’s going to help.”
Jenna and Henry have been married since 2008 and share three children: Mila, 9, Poppy, 7, and Hal, 3.
Jenna opened up about her love for Henry on TODAY in 2020, sharing that he’s always made her feel comfortable in her own skin.
“I do think one of the reasons why I knew really soon Henry was the one is I was completely myself and he loved it,” she said.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
