Gayle King admitted she’s still feeling unprepared for her upcoming Blue Origin space flight.
CBS Mornings revealed her participation in the New Shepard mission last month, which will feature a historic all-women crew.
She expressed excitement and apprehension about flying to space during her on-air comments.
She informed co-stars and viewers that she’d previously told herself to do more things that frightened her, and traveling to space certainly qualifies.
Recently, she’s attempted to calm herself down through meditation and getting tips from actor William Shatner.
However, the CBS Mornings star recently confessed that her anxiety is still at a very high level.
Gayle shared she still has a lot of anxiety about traveling to space
Gayle attended The 11th Breakthrough Prize ceremony on Saturday in Santa Monica, California, where People discussed her upcoming trip to space with her.
When asked about how her anxiety is for the journey, she indicated, “On a scale of 1-10, it’s a 12.”
Gayle also said she’s “winging it” as she prepares for the Blue Origin New Shepard mission.
“I’m getting ready. I’m now putting my bag together. Like, what do you put in the bag to go to space, right?” she said.
She previously noted in Elle that she might bring something special for her grandson, and based on recent remarks, she has his help.
“I just asked my favorite grandson, ‘Could you pick out your favorite animal, one of your favorite stuffed animals, that could go with me to space and keep ‘Gyla’ company?’ So he’s looking,” Gayle told People in their exclusive interview.
The CBS Morning star previously revealed that before deciding to go on the trip, she discussed it with her son, daughter, and best friend, Oprah Winfrey. None of them had issues with her going to space, so she went with it.
Gayle spoke about her ‘glamorous’ space trip amid ongoing backlash
During her chat with People, Gayle referred to her space trip as “glamorous” and spoke about making history.
“Well, it’s the first all-women crew,” she said, adding, “I imagine that we’ll comb our hair and put on lipstick.”
That crew includes five other women: aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn, singer Katy Perry, and author Lauren Sanchez.
According to Page Six, Perry and Sanchez attended The 11th Breakthrough Prize ceremony over the weekend, a gala honoring science and mathematics achievements and luminaries.
Sanchez is also the fiancee of Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, leading to criticism of Gayle for her participation in something associated with the billionaire. Many of Gayle’s fans have continued expressing their disappointment in her choosing to participate.
In addition, actress Olivia Munn recently criticized Gayle and her crewmates during Today with Jenna & Friends. While cohosting an episode with Jenna Hager Bush, Munn called Blue Origin’s all-women space mission “gluttonous,” as others face financial problems within the country and additional issues worldwide.