Kathie Lee Gifford got choked up while remembering her late husband, Frank Gifford, on what would have been their 30th wedding anniversary.
The Today coanchor, 63, and the former NFL player married in 1986 and shared son Cody, 26, and daughter Cassidy, 23. Frank died at age 84 of natural causes at their Greenwich, Connecticut, home on August 9, 2015.
“Today would have marked my 30th wedding anniversary with my husband, and I’m deeply grateful for all the years I had with this amazing man,” Kathie Lee said during the Today show on Tuesday, October 18.
The TV personality was joined by her cohost, Hoda Kotb, during the emotional segment. The women hugged as Kotb whispered “I love you” in Kathie Lee’s ear. The Good Gifts author then stood up and handed out tissues, including one to guest Andrew Rannells.
“I had no intention of saying that, but that’s why I love working with you, Hoda,” she added, tearing up. “I can just be real.” She added, laughing: “A real pain in the butt.”
Last year, Kathie Lee gushed over Frank days after his passing. “I just want everyone to know this was a man at complete peace in his life,” she said on the NBC morning program at the time. “He might have been the happiest, most contented person in the world at this point in his life. … Honestly, he’s the most grateful human being I’ve ever known in my life. And that colored everything he did.”