Ryan O'Neal in `awe' of Farrah Fawcett's courage

FILE -- This is a June 25, 1990 file photo of Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal. Ryan O'Neal says Farrah Fawcett's strength in the shadow of cancer has made him love her more than ever.

Ryan O'Neal said Farrah Fawcett's strength in the shadow of cancer has made him love her more than ever.

"She's so much more of a woman and powerful, courageous, fearless and all those adjectives. And I look at her with awe," he said in an interview with Meredith Vieira for NBC's "Today."

Vieira also talked to Fawcett's friend, Alana Stewart, for reports airing on the "Today" show Wednesday and Thursday.

O'Neal and Stewart participated in the documentary titled "Farrah's Story," a video diary of the actress' fight against anal cancer that has spread to her liver. The film airs Friday on NBC.

O'Neal and the "Charlie's Angels" star had a long romantic relationship that ended in the late 1990s and are parents of a son, Redmond O'Neal.

Ryan O'Neal said Fawcett has managed to joke about her illness and his own battle against chronic myelogenous leukemia, which was diagnosed in 2001.

"She asked me once, `Am I gonna make it?' She asked me that a couple of weeks ago," O'Neal recounted. "I said, `Yeah, sure, you'll make it. And if you don't, I'll go with you.'

Fawcett then joked that he should stop taking Gleevec, the medicine O'Neal uses to treat leukemia, he said.

"She's the rock. She taught us all how to cope," O'Neal said. "She's extraordinary. I don't know what I'll do without her, to tell you the truth."

Farrah Fawcett to air video diary of cancer battle

Actress Farrah Fawcett releases a live Monarch butterfly in commemoration of comedian Rodney Dangerfield's one year anniversary death at the comedian's home in West Hollywood, California in this file photo from October 5, 2005.

Actress Farrah Fawcett is going public with her two-and-a-half year battle with anal cancer, telling the story her way through a video diary to be broadcast on U.S. television next week.

The former "Charlie's Angels" star chronicles her private struggles and her treatments in the United States and Germany in "Farrah's Story", which will be shown on NBC on May 15, the network said on Tuesday.

"I've never understood why people are interested in anything that I do. Until now." Fawcett, 62, said in a statement

"As much as I would have liked to have kept my cancer private, I now realize that I have a certain responsibility to those who are fighting their own fights and may be able to benefit from learning about mine."

Shot with her own home video recorder and narrated by Fawcett, the two-hour special includes appearances by Fawcett's long-time partner, Ryan O'Neal, and her "Charlie's Angels" co-stars, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson.

Although born in Texas, Fawcett came to epitomize Hollywood and California glamor in the 1970s as the tanned, tousled blond undercover detective in the popular TV show.

She was diagnosed with anal cancer in September 2006. Four months later she declared herself cancer-free only to have the disease return in May 2007.

Fawcett has sought alternative treatment in Germany and was briefly hospitalized last month in Los Angeles after returning for a medical procedure in Germany. One report in April said the cancer had spread to her liver but Fawcett's doctors declined to comment.

Doug Vaughan, senior vice president of specials and alternative development at NBC, said that "Farrah's Story" was an "incredibly intimate and moving story."

"Farrah wanted us to see the face of cancer and she wanted to set the record straight regarding her diagnosis, her treatment and her outlook on the future," Vaughan said.

The actress described the footage, some of which has already been shared with U.S. entertainment television shows, as "very personal."

"At the time, I didn't know if anybody would ever see it. But at some point, the footage took on a life of its own and dictated that it be seen," she said.

Farrah Fawcett released from hospital

File photo shows actress Farrah Fawcett at Studio City, California. The cancer-stricken US actress has been released from hospital after being treated for internal bleeding, People magazine has reported on its website.

Cancer stricken actress Farrah Fawcett was released from the hospital on Thursday, following treatment for bleeding resulting from a medical procedure in Germany, celebrity magazine People reported.

Fawcett, 62, suffered light bleeding in one of the muscles of her abdomen after arriving in Los Angeles from Germany late last week and checked into an unidentified hospital.

On Thursday, her physician, Lawrence Piro, told People Fawcett had left the hospital and was looking forward to celebrating Easter at home.

Neither Piro nor a representative for Fawcett could be late reached Thursday afternoon to confirm the report.

Fawcett, who suffers from anal cancer, gained fame in the 1970s as a pinup model and an original cast member of the hit television show "Charlie's Angels." She earned Emmy nominations for her TV roles in 1984's "The Burning Bed," 1989's "Small Sacrifices" and 2001's "The Guardian."