Kathie Lee Gifford Reveals How Being 'Purposeful' Helped Her Overcome Loneliness After Husband's Passing

Jul 31, 2023

Kathie Lee Gifford is a woman of many talents and positive attributes, and she has become one of the most successful women in the television industry. Her exceptional talents spread across the board, from singing and songwriting to acting and even writing. Kathie is most known for her jobs as a television presenter on multiple morning shows, including "Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee" and "The Today Show."

Kathie has had her fair share of success, love, and heartbreak, as she has been through quite a lot in her personal life over the long course of her incredible career. Despite all of the challenges she has faced, Kathie has kept a smile on her face and has continued to exceed people's expectations in the entertainment industry. 

She lost her husband in 2015 but has been fortunate enough to find love once again. The memory of her late husband, Frank Gifford, continues to live on in their two children together, who have grown to be just like their famous parents.

The talk show host has two children, one son named Cody and one daughter named Cassidy, who are both absolutely gorgeous. Kathie's daughter has grown into a bright young woman and is just as beautiful as her stunning mother. 

Two years after the death of her husband, Kathie then suffered another heartbreak after her mom, Joan Epstein, passed away at the age of 87.

Page Six reported that her mom died in her sleep in 2017.

Even though the TV presenter struggled with her losses, she still managed to find happiness and leave loneliness behind. 

In a report published by USA Today in 2015, Frank Gifford died at the age of 84, just days before he was supposed to celebrate his 85th birthday.

At the time of his death, his family issued a statement that confirmed that the former football player "died suddenly" of "natural causes at his Connecticut home."

"We rejoice in the extraordinary life he was privileged to live, and we feel grateful and blessed to have been loved by such an amazing human being," the statement continued.

In a 2018 video shared by I Am Second on YouTube, Kathie Lee Gifford opened up about how she received love from her loved ones and then how they later left her.

The TV presenter recalled being married for the first time when she was young, which she considered a "huge mistake," and it led her to become "tremendously unhappy."

At the time, Kathie said she thought she would never find joy in marriage ever again until she came to New York and met Frank. They became friends for four years and fell in love with each other.

The public figure also noted that her two children were the "two greatest gifts" in her marriage with her husband.

"God took something horrible in my life and wove it into something beyond-belief beautiful," she added.

Although their relationship was beautiful for the most part, Kathie revealed that there was a time in their marriage when Frank became unfaithful to her.

At the time, the star was devastated, but she was able to stay in her marriage and "have God heal it."

The moment she found out about her husband's death on "a beautiful Sunday morning," she saw his face seemingly looking up at something.

"From that moment on, I had the peace that passes all understanding. He saw Jesus and took his breath away," she said. 

Although she had "peace" and found herself "rejoicing" after Frank's death as she knew that he went to heaven, Kathie admitted that the biggest struggle in her life was "loneliness."

"My biggest struggle at this point in my life is loneliness. I've lost my parents, my husband is gone now, and my children live far away from me." she said.

In order to overcome her struggles, Kathie said she wouldn't pay attention to what she still has if she kept on thinking about what she had lost.

Later in the video, Kathie opened up about the non-negotiable joy in her life. It all began when she attended a fundraiser; then Paul Newman got down on one knee and kissed both of her hands, then told her that he was "80-some years old and I still have a pulse." 

From that moment, the TV presenter realized: "I want to be purposeful every day of my life, every moment of it."

"My joy is non-negotiable, I tell you that's the beginning of bliss in life," she said.

Kathie then noted that when a person understands where their joy comes from, they need to protect it.

Towards the end of the clip, Kathie noted that she wanted to be purposeful every moment in her life as she was too old to waste any of it.

What do you think of Kathie Lee Gifford's emotional video? Is your joy 'non-negotiable' too? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.