Amanda Kloots is leaning on her friends and family as she celebrates her first birthday without late husband Nick Cordero. The Talk co-host turned 39 this weekend, almost a year after her husband contracted COVID-19, which caused him to be hospitalized for more than 90 days before he ultimately died in July 2020.
“Thank you so much for all the birthday love today! I had an amazing birthday that ended with a huge chocolate cake and my best guy,” Kloots captioned a smiling picture with her and Cordero’s 21-month-old son Elvis and a delicious-looking cake. “Here’s to another trip around the sun. Let’s try to radiate sunshine every day.”
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After spending the weekend at the beach with her family, Kloots reflected Sunday on how to “deal with the firsts” while grieving her late love. The secret, she shared in an Instagram post, is simply getting through and never being ashamed to ask for help. “The day, the event will happen. You cannot stop that. You cannot stop your emotions either that are tied to these special times,” she wrote. “So I tell myself to just get through. It doesn’t mean the day can’t be happy or it won’t be sad, easy or hard- you acknowledge everything you’re feeling knowing that within seconds it can change. That is grief.”
Kloots’ emotions can be all over during these days, going from laughing to crying and sometimes simply “drifting off into space unable to listen or comprehend,” but she focuses on simply enduring the day. Helping her every step of the way are her friends and family, whom she thanked for helping her “every single day and especially through big days.”
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The fitness instructor also gave a nod to the fact that her late husband’s last Instagram post was a birthday message to her. “These days I’m counting my blessings. This one is top of the list. To say I’m thankful for her is the greatest understatement,” Cordero wrote at the time in the caption of a photo featuring his wife and son. “She only spreads love in the world and does her best to make it a better place. If you know her you know what I mean. It’s [Kloots’] birthday today, so take a second and show her some love. If anyone deserves it it’s her today. Happy Birthday baby. I love you with all my heart.”
