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Kathie Lee Gifford Says She Is ‘Great Friends’ With Her Ex, Shares Relationship Status
Kathie Lee Gifford opened up about her love life, revealing if she is seeing anyone special. The former Today cohost also dished about where things stand with her ex.
“No, I’m not,” she told People in a Wednesday, May 14, interview when asked if she was dating anyone now. “I had an unbelievable marriage and was in a relationship that I thought would be the last one of my life, the love of the rest of your life, and that didn’t work out.”
Kathie Lee, 71, was married to Frank Gifford from 1986 up until his death in 2015 at age 84. They welcomed two kids together, son Cody Gifford and daughter Cassidy Gifford. She is now a grandmother to three grandchildren with another grandchild on the way.
Prior to her marriage to Frank, Kathie Lee was married to her first husband, Paul Johnson, from 1976 to 1983.
After leaving Today and moving to Nashville in 2019, Kathie Lee was linked to Richard Spitz. However, in March 2024, an insider told Closer that her relationship with him was over.
“Kathie Lee was deeply affected by the loss of her second husband, Frank Gifford, and found solace in her relationship with Richard,” the source said. “She was frightened she would never find love again, but she did — briefly.”
The source told Closer that Kathie Lee leaned on former Today cohost Hoda Kotb after the split, and that Kathie Lee planned to “focus on her family, friends and faith.”
While the broadcaster isn’t currently looking for love, she did say that she is still in contact with her ex-boyfriend.
“I was with him all day yesterday, we’re still great friends,” she revealed to the outlet in the interview.
“We were together almost three years, and it just wasn’t meant to be forever,” Kathie Lee added. “But we love each other, so you just take a day at a time.”
Kathie Lee doesn’t approach the topic of “love lightly” and further explained her current dynamic with her ex.
“I’ve only been in love three times in my life and the first two are dead. So, he’s basically all I’ve got. We’re back to being great friends and it’s perfect,” she said, adding that her ex is “a doll.”
“My husband’s been gone now for 10 years, and widowhood is not something I recommend unless you hate your husband,” the Under the Bridge author explained. “It’s not a club anybody wants to join if they love their husband. But if you hate his guts, you’re relieved.”
In April 2024, Kathie Lee briefly spoke to People about her split from her ex, saying, “I was in a relationship for several years that just ended recently. And you know, it’s always hard because when you love someone, you love someone deeply. It’s something you miss when it doesn’t last.”
“You aren’t supposed to marry everyone you fall in love with. And I don’t want to love easily,” she said. “I’ve been loved three times in my entire life. It’s the people who have meant something deep and powerful in your life that are the hardest things to get over.”
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