Ann Curry exited the NBC morning show in 2012

Credit : Peter Kramer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

Eight years after Ann Curry made her exit from Today, the journalist is still asking questions about her abrupt firing from the NBC morning show.

In a new interview for Elle‘s September issue, Curry, 63, revealed that her departure from the show “still hurts.”

“I still don’t really understand,” she said about her firing from the show. “I know I did nothing wrong. I know I was good at my job.”

After barely a year of co-hosting Today with Matt Lauer, Curry left the NBC morning show in 2012 — an ordeal that was rumored to have been caused in part to a lack of “chemistry” with Lauer. At the time, there were also reports claiming he had played a part in forcing Curry out.

“The bottom line is that it still hurts,” she said. “It honestly hurts really deeply, because I really think I did nothing wrong.”

While her exit from the show was a painful experience, Curry said leaving Today had a silver lining. “But in spite of the pain of it, which still lingers, I know that I contributed to some people suffering less,” she said.

Curry added, “But I tell you, it was tough. It was hard to walk that line, to not add more [suffering]. Boy, oh boy, was it tough.”

Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire/Getty.

In January 2018, Curry opened up to PEOPLE for the first time about her firing, revealing similar sentiments about the harrowing incident.

“It hurt like hell,” she said. “It hurt so much, but I learned a lot about myself. I can say I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve been honest and true. I’ve tried to stay pure. I’ve tried to not respond in a knee-jerk manner, and I’ve stayed very close to who I am. So it hurt, but I’m also proud of myself.”

Curry — who began as an intern at an Oregon NBC affiliate and worked her way up to Today‘s couch, earning a reputation for being earnest and empathetic — stayed remarkably mum after her co-hosting gig with Lauer ended.

“Experience has taught me, as a journalist, the No. 1 thing you have to be is humble,” she said. “It’s not about you.”

The mother of two made her return to TV with the six-part PBS docuseries We’ll Meet Again.

“I can say today I’m stronger now,” Curry said. “I’m smarter. I’m happier, as happy as I’ve ever been. And my compassion has only grown. When you go through the pain and learn the lessons, you will be changed for the better.”