In first interview, shot congresswoman doing "pretty good"

Nov 14, 2011, 20:33 GMT

Washington - In her first interview since surviving an assassination attempt in January, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords admits her recovery has been 'difficult.'

In a brief excerpt of a television interview to air Monday evening, a smiling Giffords is seen sitting next to husband Mark Kelly, a former astronaut who has retired from NASA to care for his wife.

'Pretty good,' she responds when asked by interviewer Diane Sawyer how she is doing.

When asked, 'Is it painful? Is it hard?' Giffords, wearing glasses and a closely cropped haircut, responds, 'It's difficult.'

Giffords was shot in the head during a meeting with constituents on January 8 in an attack that killed six bystanders. She has undergone months of treatment and therapy and was released from hospital in June.

She has since moved into the home of her husband in Houston, where she has 24-hour nursing assistance while continuing her therapy as an outpatient at the city's Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Giffords described her husband as 'brave,' and Kelly, commander of space shuttle Endeavour's final mission in May, was shown replying that the same word could be applied to his wife.

Giffords made a brief appearance in Congress to cast a key vote this summer, but has not said whether she intends to return to her office or seek re-election.

Alleged shooter Jared Lee Loughner, 22, is undergoing mental treatment after being initially found incompetent to stand trial on 49 federal charges stemming from the attack.