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Kathie Lee Gifford shared that she finally felt ‘free’ to write in detail about her unhappy first marriage and the death of her husband Frank Gifford’s son-in-law, Michael Kennedy, as many people in her life have died.
The former Today host called the show on Tuesday to promote her new book, It’s Never Too Late: Make the Next Act of Your Life the Best Act of Your Life, admitting that she isn’t quite sure why she chose to ‘include a passage about her relationship with her first husband, Christian music composer Paul Johnson.
“I didn’t want to write a practical book. It would be two lines: Trust in God. It would be a very short book, ”said Kathie, 67. “I wanted it to be entertaining. I tell a lot of stories, but I add more details. A lot of people have passed away since things happened in my life, so I feel more free to share some things.
She is back! Kathie Lee Gifford, 67, called on the Today show on Tuesday to promote her new book, It’s Never Too Late: Make the Next Act of Your Life the Best Act of Your Life
Opening: Kathie (right) revealed that her stepdaughter Victoria Gifford (center left) had given her permission to write about the tragic death of her husband Michael Kenned (far left)
Kathie was a 22-year-old virgin when she fell in love with her first husband Paul, who was her Bible study group leader and seven years her senior. They married in 1976, but their lack of sexual chemistry caused her to spend her wedding night in tears. They were married for six unsatisfying years before eventually divorcing.
“He was never really my husband; she was someone I was married to, ” she explained in a new interview with Parade. “I make a big distinction. I have absolutely no ill will or bad feelings towards him. I pray for him all the time. But it was a very, very, very unhappy marriage for both of us.
In 1986, a decade after saying “yes” for the first time, she married her second husband Frank, who was the love of her life. However, their marriage had its own difficulties.
Frank, who died aged 84 in 2015, was caught cheating on Kathie in 1997 with a married flight attendant, putting a strain on their marriage. It’s unclear if she talks about infidelity in her new book.
Heartbreaking loss: Kathie remembers seeing Michael’s mother, Ethel Kennedy, by the bedside after the skiing accident. They are pictured leaving the family funeral
On the Today show, Kathie explained that one of the stories she felt compelled to write about was the tragic death of Robert and Ethel Kennedy’s son, Michael, who was married to Frank’s daughter, Victoria Gifford. .
Michael, 39, died skiing in a tree on New Years Eve while on a family vacation in Aspen, Colo. In 1997, just months after news broke that he had an affair with the family’s teenage babysitter.
“There is a story about Ethel Kenned at the bedside of her son Michael who died in that skiing accident,” she says. “I felt free now to write this story. It was a powerful story.
“My daughter-in-law, Frank’s daughter Vicki, who had been married to Michael gave me permission,” Kathie added: “She said,“ Kathie, if that can help people write about it . “What I’m sharing about Frank … Everyone would say, ‘If it helps someone, if it gives you strength …”‘
Retrospective: Kathie explained many of the stories in the book she recounted in more detail, including a passage about her unhappy marriage to her first husband Paul Johnson (far left)
Loss: Kathie met her second husband Frank Gifford on the set of Good Morning America in the ’80s (left) Her true love died at age 84 in 2015. They are pictured in 2010 (right)
Family: Kathie and Frank had two children together – Cody and Cassidy (pictured together in New York City in 2012)
The mother-of-two noted that her children Cody, 30, and Cassidy, 27, don’t want her to talk about it, but she “can certainly talk about everyone.”
Later on the show, Kathie chatted with her former fourth hour co-host Hoda Kotb and replacement Jenna Bush Hager about why she felt comfortable writing the book.
Inspirational: Kathie’s book tells the story of how it’s never too late to make your dreams come true
“At different stages of your life, at different seasons, you feel more comfortable sharing certain things. Or you remember certain things and say, “Ahh, I never told this story,” she explained, noting that the famous people who appear in the book are really her friends.
“ I know it sounds like a who’s who of Hollywood and everything when you look at these books, but these are people who are my friends, ” she said.
“They are famous, but I have a real relationship with them. I look back and always felt like I was Waldo. What was I doing there?
Kathie stressed that she “ doesn’t want to hurt anyone ” with the book, but the stories she shares are true and something others can learn from.
“I feel free to speak the truth in a spirit of love,” she said.
The multihyphenate book explains how it’s never too late to pursue your dreams, and she pointed out that Hoda, 56, is a perfect example.
After years of thinking motherhood was not on her mind, Hoda adopted her first daughter Haley Joy in 2017.
Friends: Kathie referred to her former co-host Hoda Kotb becoming a mom later in life, saying she was the perfect example of making your dreams come true
Happy: “Hoda, you dreamed of being a mother. Now look at yourself, said Kathie. ‘I remember when you thought,’ I could never do that. I could never be a mother at this point ”
Home for the Holidays: Kathie Celebrates Thanksgiving in Nashville, Tennessee, with Her Kids and Their Spouses
She and her fiance welcomed their second daughter Hope Catherine two years later, and they recently completed the paperwork to try to adopt their third child.
“Hoda, you dreamed of being a mother. Now look at yourself, said Kathie. “She sent me a videotape of the prettiest little girls on the planet this morning. I started to cry.
“I remember when you thought, ‘I could never do that. I could never be a mother at this point.’ And look how God blessed.
The author also spoke about how people wanted their dreams to come true but didn’t want to get the job done, and she couldn’t resist a joke about how Jenna, 39, got back to her job as a host. on the Today show.
“ There are so many people who feel eligible for these two seats that you are sitting on today, but they are not ready to do the work it takes to get it, ” she said, adding : “ Now Jenna I know you I have slept with a lot of people, but you know your sins are forgiven like mine.
Jenna and Hoda burst out laughing before saying goodbye to their friend.
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