Though Kathie Lee Gifford is no longer with her mystery man, she’s learned some important lessons through their breakup.
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at QVC’s first-ever Age of Possibility summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, which kicked off on Wednesday, April 24, the former Today show host confirmed that she had parted ways from the «very special» man in her life after several years of dating.
Now that their relationship is over, Kathie Lee says that she’s adopted a new motto to live by.
«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,» she explains. «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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Despite the profound feelings she’s harbored for her ex, the television personality says she’s moving on with a different outlook on love and how her relationships have affected her life.
«You aren’t supposed to marry everyone you fall in love with. And I don’t want to love easily,» she continues. «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.»
After leaving the Today show in 2019, Kathie Lee moved to Nashville, Tennessee where she met her former beau. After confirming their relationship — but not his identity — in April 2021, Kathie Lee made an appearance on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna that same November and opened up about him at the time.
«I have a very sweet man in my life,» she said. «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 told PEOPLE that she had vowed not to discuss her love life publicly, saying, «I have someone very special in my life. I’ve discovered that by not talking about it, it stays special.»
«I’ve found personal happiness here, is the best way to say it,» she added of living in Nashville.
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Kathie Lee was previously married to composer Paul Johnson from 1976 to 1983. The star was then married to Frank Gifford from 1986 until his death in 2015. Together, they shared son Cody, 34, and daughter Cassidy, 30.
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During their 29-year marriage, former New York Giants athlete was exposed for having an extramarital affair with a flight attendant in 1997. Though it’s been nearly a decade since her late husband’s death, earlier this week the former broadcaster told Entertainment Tonight that his infidelity during their marriage still brings her “very painful” memories.
“My faith was definitely tested the most during the whole year dealing with Frank’s infidelity because I thought that I had finally found my soulmate,” she confessed. «I could have let the seed germinate but I don’t want to be that person, that bitter, angry, unhappy, miserable human being ‘cause you know what you end up doing? You end up making everybody around you every bit as miserable.»
