Kathy Gifford Talks ‘Debilitating’ Health Battle, Whether She’s ‘Looking’ for Love After Frank’s Death

Kathie Lee Gifford doesn’t have any plans to find love again after the death of her husband, Frank Gifford, but that’s not the only challenge she’s been navigating in recent years. The television icon recently opened up about the painful health issues that led to multiple surgeries over the past several months.

Gifford, 72, told People that she’s currently single and not in the market for a boyfriend.

“I’m not looking, and I don’t think I’ll ever get married again,” the former Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee host told the outlet in an interview published on Tuesday, June 30. “I had an opportunity for that to maybe happen, and it didn’t work out.”

However, that doesn’t mean she’s closing the door on a future marriage if heavenly forces were to intervene.

“Frank will always be the love of my life,” Gifford explained. “If God wants to do something miraculous, like give me another great love [then I’m open to it]. And so I leave room for the miraculous to happen.”

While Gifford has found peace with her personal life, she’s also been working to regain her health after a series of painful medical issues led to multiple surgeries over the past year.

She revealed that she underwent hip replacement surgery, arm surgery and cataract surgery after enduring immense physical pain that left her not wanting to leave her house.

“I want to be Kathie Lee, the person they expect. I don’t want to disappoint people. But when you’re in pain, it’s so debilitating, and everything’s a grimace,” she told the publication. “I’ve had emotional pain many times in my life, but never this chronic physical pain where you literally want to go home to Jesus.”

Gifford admitted that, at one point, she “wanted to die a few times.”

“I wasn’t going to hurt myself. I wasn’t going to kill myself. I just didn’t want to be here — as blessed as I am,” she said.

Thankfully, surgery and physical therapy have the former daytime TV legend on the mend.