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ENCORE: Anderson Cooper reflects on love, loss and his relationship with mom Gloria Vanderbilt

Being the son of Gloria Vanderbilt wasn't necessarily an asset for Anderson Cooper, an aspiring journalist aiming to get ahead on his own merits. But now, he has collaborated with his mother to produce a memoir about life, love and loss.
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Journalist Anderson Cooper and his famous mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, collaborated on the book, The Rainbow Comes And Goes: A Mother and Son Talk About Life, Love and Loss. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
The Current25:32ENCORE: Anderson Cooper reflects on love, loss and his relationship with mom Gloria Vanderbilt

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At the age of 10, Anderson Cooper lost his dad, Wyatt Cooper. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)
Gloria Vanderbilt, 92, has spent virtually an entire life in the spotlight. Dubbed "poor little rich girl" by the media at the age of nine, she was the subject of a vicious custody battle between her mother and other relatives at the height of the Great Depression.
When 91-year-old Gloria Vanderbilt fell ill, Anderson Cooper began getting to know his mother better through email. This correspondence became the basis for the memoir, The Rainbow Comes and Goes. (Courtesy of Anderson Cooper)
I find it reassuring knowing the rainbow comes and goes. It helps me accept the way things often are.- Gloria Vanderbilt, co-author of 

And Gloria Vanderbilt's life never stopped being interesting. She's has had quite the love life and says instead of counting sheep, she counted lovers.

Her son, Anderson Cooper, has lived a similarly interesting life so far as a journalist best known for his work on CNN. 

Anderson Cooper reported on the genocide in Rwanda for Channel One News in 1994. (Courtesy of Anderson Cooper)

And now, mother and son have collaborated on the book, The Rainbow Comes And Goes: A Mother and Son Talk About Life, Love and Loss.  In this rebroadcast, Cooper tells The Current's host Anna Maria Tremonti how loss became a part of his relationship with his Mom. 

"We both grew up speaking the language of loss, and it is something that shapes your lives," Cooper says.

But he's also aware that loss can prompt opportunity. "The loss of my dad and brother propelled me to places I wouldn't have gone otherwise," Cooper tells Anna Maria Tremonti.

Cornelius Vanderbilt was an American shipping magnate and financier. (Ariarmstrong/Wiki)

Gloria Vanderbilt opens up to her son Anderson Cooper: CNN


Listen to The Current's full conversation with Anderson Cooper at the top of this post.

This segment was produced by The Current's Howard Goldenthal.

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