KATHIE Lee Gifford stayed married to her second husband until his death from natural causes.
Years after the end of her marriage to Frank Gifford, the former Today Show co-host has moved on to another relationship.
Who is Kathie Lee Gifford’s boyfriend, Richard Spitz?
On February 21, 2023, The U.S. Sun revealed Kathie Lee Gifford had been dating Richard Spitz for several months.
An insider shared: “Kathie Lee and Richard have been enjoying each other’s company for some time.”
“They’re often spotted out and about in the Nashville area. She seems smitten and takes him everywhere.”
“It’s surprising she’s kept the relationship under wraps for this long.”
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Richard Spitz. is a businessman and the director of Strong Force Innovation Portfolios. He is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
He obtained his Master’s degree from NYU School of Law and is a graduate of California State University, Northridge.
A year after their relationship was revealed, rumors about their speculated separation circulated in February 2024.
A source told The U.S. Sun that Kathie was upset with Today star Hoda Kotb after she seemingly disclosed a potential breakup between her and Richard during a live TV segment with Jenna Bush Hager.
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During the segment on February 12, 2024, Hoda said that Kathie Lee “would be perfect” on ABC’s The Golden Bachelorette, which will feature contestants ages 60 and up and is set to air in the fall.
The source said: “Kathie Lee was hurt after Hoda and Jenna did a segment on the Golden Bachelorette, and Hoda suggested her old friend Kathie as a candidate for the show.
“Some would have been thrilled that Hoda held them up for production on her massive Today Show platform, but not Kathie Lee.”
The source added: “Kathie Lee was crushed that her friend outed her relationship status after she had done her best to keep everything with Richard under wraps.”
What happened to Kathie Lee Gifford’s husband, Frank?
On August 9, 2015, Kathie Lee’s husband Frank died from natural causes at the age of 84.
Frank was an NFL Hall of Famer and had suffered from symptoms associated with Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
It is a degenerative disease in the brain, likely caused by repetitive head injuries.
The Today Show alum’s family initially said Frank died solely of natural causes but later tests revealed that CTE may have been a contributing factor.
His family donated his brain to science in the hopes that they would be able to help others suffering from the disease.
Frank Gifford is survived by Kathie Lee, their two children, and his three older children from his marriage to Maxine Avis Ewart.
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How many times has Kathie Lee been married?
Kathie Lee was married twice, first to actor Paul Johnson from 1976 to 1983 and then to Frank Gifford in 1986 until his death.
The Emmy Award-winning TV host met Frank on the set of a morning news show and Gifford admitted that she was smitten at first sight.
“I met Frank Gifford because it was 4 o’clock in the morning at Good Morning America, walking down one of the hallways and I looked over at somebody in the dressing room — the best set of buns I’ve ever seen in my life — just leaned over a sink putting in contact lenses,” she told People in 2020.
Together they had two children; a son named Cody and a daughter named Cassidy.
She is also the stepmother to her late husband’s children from his first marriage; Victoria, Jeff, and Kyle.