Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images for Lionsgate
Kathie Lee Gifford Says She Will Keep Future Romances out of the Spotlight: ‘Nobody’s Opinion Matters’
Kathie Lee Gifford said she won’t be making any future romances public and plans to keep them out of the spotlight following her split from longtime boyfriend Richard Spitz.
“I’m so convinced that if the Lord brings a beautiful man into my life, I am not going to talk about it,” Kathie Lee, 70, told Entertainment Tonight in a sit-down interview at her Nashville, Tennessee, home released on Thursday, April 25.
The TV icon is so determined to keep any future relationships away from the public that if she found love again and it led to getting engaged and married, fans wouldn’t know for quite some time.
“We’ll probably get married privately and tell the world a year later so that nobody’s opinion matters,” the Then Came You star revealed.
The TV icon played it coy about whether she’s seeing anyone after the interviewer pointed out that both Kathie Lee and her former Today show fourth hour cohost Hoda Kotb are “both single right now.”
“You don’t know what’s going on in my personal life. Nobody does,” she responded with a sly smile.
However, Kathie Lee showed off her left hand to prove there was no engagement or wedding ring on her finger, stating, “It’s as naked as a left hand could be.”
The “Once Again” singer fell for businessman Richard after moving to Tennessee in 2019, where they started out as neighbors.
“She and Richard have so much in common. He shares in her love of faith, family, food and living in Tennessee,” an insider told Closer in July 2023 of their relationship.
Kathie Lee kept her romance with Richard out of the public eye. They were seldom photographed together, and she didn’t discuss him in interviews. Still, her fame ended up becoming a hurdle.
“She likes her privacy, but apparently Richard didn’t like any publicity at all,” an insider told Closer on March 29 following their split. “He should have known what he was getting into, dating somebody famous, but he never really thought about it. Her fame didn’t interest him at all, but over time, it apparently became an issue.”
“Kathie Lee was in love with Richard, and she liked having someone to share things with, but it just didn’t work out,” the source continued.
The former Live With Regis and Kathie Lee host has tied the knot twice. She was first married to Christian music composer Paul Johnson from 1976 to 1983.
In 1986, Kathie Lee married sportscaster and retired NFL star Frank Gifford. The pair welcomed their first child, son Cody, in 1990, followed by daughter Cassidy in 1993. The couple was married for 29 years until Frank’s death in August 2015 at the age of 84.
In 2020, the It’s Never Too Late author discussed her journey to find love again after Frank’s passing.
“I think I dated four different gentlemen and they’re all great guys but they’re not the guy for me,” she told Page Six in October 2020. “If I fall in love again it will be because God just made it happen.”
