Kathie Lee Gifford is moving on and not looking back. The beloved TV host and actress recently offered an update on her relationship status, revealing that she has split from a “very special” man whom she dated for several years.
“My new mantra was going to be my joy is non-negotiable. I’ll negotiate time. I’ll negotiate money with you. But my joy, I can’t,” Gifford told PEOPLE. “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.”
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“You aren’t supposed to marry everyone you fall in love with. And I don’t want to love easily,” she continued. “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.”
Gifford was married to composer Paul Johnson from 1976 to 1983. Three years later she wed Frank Gifford, whom she was married to from 1986 until his death in 2015. Together, the couple shared teo children: son Cody, 34, and daughter Cassidy, 30.
In the past, Gifford had spoken about her most recent beau, but never revealed his identity. “I have a very sweet man in my life,” she previously told her former Today co-host Hoda Kotb, and Jenna Bush, during a revisit to her old show. “He’s good for me, and I’m good for him. And that’s all that I’ll say about it, because there’s nothing else to talk about.”
In August 2022, she made it clear that speaking about her love life publicly was not something she had any interest in, telling PEOPLE, “I have someone very special in my life. I’ve discovered that by not talking about it, it stays special.” She then added, “I’ve found personal happiness here, is the best way to say it,” referring to her move from New York City to Nashville, Tennessee.
