EXCLUSIVE: Matt Lauer's betrayed wife Annette Roque gets a consoling hug from close friend who designed the couple's Hamptons estate - hours after they were spotted without their wedding rings

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Annette Roque was seen receiving some emotional support from a close friend hours after she and estranged husband Matt Lauer were seen ditching their wedding bands.

The Dutch-born mother-of-three, who was seen publicly on Wednesday for the first time since Lauer's ousting, visited close friend and interior designer Muriel Brandolini in Hamptons Bays, New York, DailyMail.com can reveal. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Roque was spotted without her ring as she picked up breakfast and dropped off her children at school. Lauer was seen hours later, running errands around Sag Harbor, New York, with his ring finger bare, despite wearing his gold band on Monday morning. 

Sporting a sleek bun and a long blue puffy coat paired with black riding boots, the 52-year-old seemed downcast as she said goodbye to Brandolini outside of her home after receiving a consoling hug.

Brandolini, a home designer based in New York City, met Roque in the 1990s, when Annette was still modeling and Muriel was working as a photo stylist. 

She designed the Lauers' $18 million Hamptons estate, which the couple put on the market last year.

According to sources, Roque and Lauer, who have been married for 19 years, have been living separate lives and do not reside together. 

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Emotional support: Matt Lauer's wife Annette Roque was seen visiting close friend and interior designer Muriel Brandolini in Hampton Bays on Wednesday afternoon 

Sporting a sleek bun and a blue puffy coat, the Dutch-born mother-of-three appeared downcast as she received an emotional hug from her friend 

Brandolini, a home designer based in New York City, designed the Lauers' $18 million Hamptons estate, which the couple put on the market last year 

Old friends: Muriel and Annette have been long-term friends who met in the 1990s while Roque was still modeling and Brandolini was a photo stylist 

Roque's father, Henri, 76, speaking from his apartment near Amsterdam, had told DailyMail.com exclusively: 'I have no words for her husband. What he has done is bad. Everybody feels betrayed.

'She is not going to stay with him and work it out. They are not together trying to work it out.'    

Mr. Roque added: '[Annette] is feeling shocked and she is now having sorrow for her children. Me too. Everybody is feeling quite sad.

'There are also the kids, I don’t know what she’s doing or who they are going to stay with.'

Mr. Roque, who worked as director of human resources for the city of Amsterdam until he retired, lives alone in a small flat on the top floor of an apartment block. 

He added: 'I feel s**t about the whole thing. The situation is so bad. I have met Matt, he was a nice guy. I feel kind of betrayed. It’s my own daughter. I don’t know how the kids are doing.' 

Mr. Roque denied reports that his daughter fled the country to be with her family in the Netherlands.

He said: 'I speak to her often. I last spoke to her on Sunday. I asked her if she was in Amsterdam, she said no, I am in the Hamptons. 

'It was all bulls**t stories. She's not in Holland. It’s all fake news. It's s**t news. Bulls**t news. She's in America.'

Meanwhile, Lauer has been staying at his private Sag Harbor home, in Long Island, and was seen Monday, behind the wheel of his gray Jeep Wrangler, taking his 11-year-old son, Thijs, to school. 

Lauer was seen covering his eyes with sunglasses as he headed out again to make a stop at a school in his Hamptons neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon 

The fired Today host - who has been staying at his private Sag Harbor home, in Long Island - was seen earlier on Wednesday running errands  with his ring finger bare, despite wearing his gold band on Monday morning

Matt Lauer was seen in Sag Harbor, New York, on Wednesday without his wedding ring, despite wearing it on Monday

Matt Lauer's wife Annette Roque was also spotted in Sag Harbor, New York, on Wednesday, her first time being seen since Lauer's Today show firing last week 

Henri Roque (pictured), Annette's father, claims she will divorce the fired TV host, saying on Tuesday: 'I have no words for her husband. What he has done is bad. Everybody feels betrayed'

Lauer was spotted hours after Roque, 52, emerged for the first time since his firing from the Today show last week due to allegations of sexual assault 

The disgraced former Today host picked up his son's lunch from a local deli and delivered it to his school before returning home minus his wedding band on Wednesday 

The disgraced 59-year-old stopped off at a gated property in nearby North Haven to pick up a friend of his son's and was still wearing his wedding ring at the time.

Sources say Lauer's marriage to Roque has been on the rocks for years and they have even been living separately.

While much of the country was shocked by the sexual assault news given Lauer's image as a wholesome good guy, those who knew the couple say that he was an unfaithful husband. 

Lauer's alleged history of infidelity reportedly forced his wife to keep close tabs on him when he took trips abroad because she didn't trust him.

When Roque sought to divorce Lauer years ago, Lauer reportedly offered her $5 million in cash to remain in the marriage.

The image-conscious Lauer made the cash offer because he was reportedly so concerned about how a divorce might be perceived by his audience.  

Amid reports that Lauer gave a staffer on the Today show a sex toy, sex therapist Dr Laura Berman said Monday that she gave him the toys because he wanted to spice things up with Roque. 

'We were in the makeup room and he sort of asked the makeup artist to leave,' Berman told Inside Edition.

'He asked me about sexual aids and devices. He confided in me about some of the struggles he was having in his married relationship.'

Berman claims Lauer didn't want to be seen going to a store to buy sex toys so she took care of it for him.

Roque looked somber as she folded her hands around her breakfast and lowered her head while she walked to her car

Her father, speaking from his apartment in a small town near Amsterdam, said: 'She is not going to stay with him and work it out. They are not together trying to work it out'

The 52-year-old was bare-faced as she did her morning errands on Wednesday 

Lauer was still wearing his wedding ring as of Monday (pictured) when he finally ventured out of his Long Island compound to do the school run

'I brought him a shopping bag filled with toys from my line that were designed for couples and spicing things up,' Berman said.

Lauer and Roque met on a blind date in 1997, the same year he took over as co-anchor of Today in place of the departing Bryant Gumbel.

While Lauer rose to television stardom with his Today show gig, Roque has been featured in Victoria's Secret catalogs as well as in advertisements for J. Crew. 

According to Page Six, Lauer, who had a reputation as a philanderer, was urged to settle down and get married by NBC executives who were concerned that his playboy image would hurt the Today show given its heavily female viewership. 

Lauer and Roque were married less than a year after they met, but it was reportedly a tumultuous union.

Three years after the birth of their first child, Jack, in 2003, Lauer and Roque separated after the newsman returned from covering the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.   

Roque was still wearing her wedding ring in late September when she joined Lauer for lunch in New York City (pictured)

Rumors swirled that Lauer was having an affair with Natalie Morales, who was then a correspondent for the Today show. Both have vehemently denied the rumors. 

Nonetheless, Roque, who was seven months pregnant at the time, filed for divorce from Lauer, whom she accused of 'cruel and inhumane' treatment and 'extremely controlling' behavior.

'Defendant has continuously and repeatedly given higher priority to… personal interests than his family obligations to plaintiff, causing plaintiff to feel abandoned, isolated and alone in raising the parties' children,' according to court papers, which were leaked in 2014.

Roque would eventually withdraw her petition for divorce three weeks before giving birth to the couple's second child, Thijs.

Mr. Roque added: '[Annette] is feeling shocked and she is now having sorrow for her children. Me too. Everybody is feeling quite sad' 

There was no explanation given for why Roque had second thoughts about the divorce, though it was reported that Lauer offered her $5 million to remain in the marriage.

'Matt needed to stay in the marriage to keep his reputation as America's nicest dad,' according to a source quoted by Page Six.

'He is in fact a… very doting dad to his kids, but he is also a terrible husband.' 

Things appeared to be fine – until Lauer returned from covering the Olympics in Vancouver in early 2010.

After news reports emerged suggesting that Lauer partied hard in Canada, Roque reportedly was so angry that she and her husband began living separately.

Since 2011, Roque and her three children were reportedly living in their home in Sag Harbor, while Lauer stayed in Manhattan during the week.

The Upper East Side apartment at 133 East 64th Street was also the address of Bernie Madoff, the infamous Ponzi schemer. 

On weekends, Lauer would reportedly make the trip to Long Island to join them.

 Roque had not been seen since news broke that Lauer was fired from his $25m position at the Today show over sexual assault allegations 

Roque previously filed for divorce from Lauer in 2006 but dropped her suit. They are pictured together in India in 1998, the year they were married

Lauer persuaded Roque to stay in the marriage 'to keep his reputation as America's nicest dad,' according to a source quoted by Page Six. 'He is in fact a… very doting dad to his kids, but he is also a terrible husband'. Pictured: Lauer with his three children 

'They play happy families at their Hamptons home on weekends, and then she lets him run off to New York to do 'Today' - and goodness knows what else,' RadarOnline quoted one source as saying.

Despite her celebrity status, Roque is rarely seen in public.

When she does appear, it is usually to attend the Hampton Classic horse show. Roque and her daughter are avid equestrians.

In 2012, Lauer purchased a 40-acre property near their Long Island home and converted it into a horse farm with stables for 36 animals, 16 paddocks, two outdoor riding rings, cross-country trails, and a climate-controlled indoor ring.

Lauer even owns five horses himself, but it was been widely rumored that the horses were a gift to his wife whenever she caught him cheating. 

Locals who see Lauer near his Manhattan apartment say that they cannot recall ever seeing him and his wife together dining.

Lauer is known to be a frequent customer at Donahue's Steak House, a whiskey bar across the street from his apartment.

Neighbors told Page Six they see Lauer there at least three nights a week – but he's on his own. 

Lauer's alleged history of infidelity reportedly forced his wife to keep close tabs on him when he took trips abroad because she didn't trust him

Roque, a former Dutch model, had been hiding out in her Hamptons home after Lauer was fired from NBC last Tuesday over claims of sexual assault. The couple is pictured in August 2017 

After news broke of the assault claims, Lauer said in an apology: 'There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions. To the people I have hurt, I am truly sorry.

'The last two days have forced me to take a very hard look at my troubling flaws. It has been humbling.

'Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized. But there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.

'I regret that my shame is now shared by the people I cherish dearly.'   

Lauer's apology, read out on the show, came hours after more graphic details of the allegations against the host emerged.

In one allegation, a married NBC staffer claimed she woke up in Matt Lauer's office with her pants halfway down her legs after having sex with the anchor until she passed out.

The woman told The New York Times that the longtime Today Show host's assistant had to take her to see a nurse after the alleged encounter in 2001. 

Lauer and Roque met on a blind date in 1997, the same year he took over as co-anchor of Today in place of the departing Bryant Gumbel

NBC executives fired Lauer on Tuesday night soon after they saw a string of lewd messages and explicit photos he sent an intern during the Sochi Olympics, reports suggest. Pictured: Lauer on Wednesday 

The former employee, who was in her 40s at the time, said Lauer first made advances towards her while covering a story away from their New York headquarters in the late 1990s.

She described moving away from him during a car journey to the airport because he was sitting 'uncomfortably close', to which he apparently replied: 'You're no fun'.

Then, in 2001, she claims the married Lauer summoned her to his office at 30 Rock in New York to discuss work. She says he then used a button under his desk to lock the door and then told her to unbutton her blouse.

She said the veteran broadcaster then stepped out from behind his desk, pulled out a chair, bent her over, and started having sex with her until she fell unconscious.

The woman told The Times she woke up a while later on the floor of his office with her pants halfway down her legs, prompting his assistant to take her to seek medical attention.

The ex-staffer, who has not been named, is one of a string of women who have come forward accusing Lauer of sexual misconduct.

She did not tell NBC about the alleged incident at the time because she thought she could have done more to stop Lauer's actions, and she left around a year later.

NBC executives fired Lauer on Tuesday night soon after they saw a string of lewd messages and explicit photos he sent an intern during the Sochi Olympics, reports suggest.

His departure was announced by visibly-shaken co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on Wednesday morning, and a number of explosive stories on his alleged conduct during his time at the Rockefeller Center quickly followed.

Lauer was seen by DailyMail.com for the first time on Thursday since he was fired by NBC on Tuesday night

'There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions. To the people I have hurt, I am truly sorry,' said Lauer on Thursday (above meeting with lawyer and friend Eddie Burke Jr.)

He has been accused of flashing his penis at one woman and buying another a sex toy.

There was also a stunning revelation that he had a button under his desk that would lock to the door to his office.

It was a security-measure used by most high-profile employees at NBC, but Lauer allegedly used it at least once so he could have sex with the NBC staffer in 2001.

The NBC investigation that led to his spectacular downfall was sparked by an intern who accused him of sexually assault at the beginning in 2014 at the Sochi Olympics.

She shared her account with the human resources and legal departments of NBC News on Monday - Lauer was fired just 24 hours later.

He was sacked so quickly because of lewd messages he sent the female staffer, and at least one explicit picture.

Variety also spoke with 10 past and present workers at the company who accused Lauer of a vast array of sexual misconduct, including the intern who claims she was attacked at Sochi.

Previously, it was revealed that Lauer visited his son Jack at his prep school to tell him the news in person.