Kathie Lee Gifford Turned to Faith After Husband’s Affair: ‘I Was Never the Same’

Kathie Lee Gifford turned to faith during one of the most difficult times of her life.

The former “Today” co-anchor has written a new book, titled “I Want to Matter: Your Life is Too Short and Too Precious to Waste.” It explores the power of self-love and offers readers self-reflection to better understand their hopes and dreams.

In the book, the 70-year-old woman returns to her husband Frank Gifford’s extramarital affair. The Emmy Award-winning TV host told Fox News Digital that her faith in God taught her the power of forgiveness after facing a painful betrayal.

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“First of all, I loved Frank,” Gifford told Fox News Digital. “I was angry with him, believe me. And furious that he would take something as precious as our marriage into a hotel room with someone. It was so unlike him. And he put his whole family in danger because of this. But I also knew that we had a family that we loved.

Gifford shared that “when you suffer, you pray.” And it was love, she said, that gave her the courage to forgive.

“I did it to save our marriage because I loved Frank,” she explained. “I wasn’t going to break up our family. No… A man once said to me, ‘Kathie, if you can’t forgive your husband, forgive the father of your children.’ I said, “Well, this guy is wonderful. This guy is a magnificent human being.” He said, ‘So forgive this guy. It worked.’

“But I was never the same,” Gifford admitted. “People take sex casually, and that made me suffer for a long time. But I just went back to work, thanked everyone for their prayers, and tried to avoid the newspapers for a long time, long time.”

According to the book, Frank met a woman at the Regency Hotel on Park Avenue in New York on May 1, 1997. Gifford wrote that for years after the affair, she avoided driving on Park Avenue to avoid being triggered by hurtful emotions. With the help of a counselor, Gifford was able to forgive her husband.

“All my faith is built on the foundation of forgiveness: Jesus died for me for the forgiveness of my sins,” Gifford wrote. “We cannot withhold from others what He has freely given us.”

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In the book, Gifford describes how she struggled to see her husband the same way after the affair, noting “he was no longer my hero.” However, she did not regret having forgiven him.

“My children’s father was a wonderful, loving, gentle, compassionate, generous and kind man,” she wrote. “It was easy to forgive him because I knew his heart.”

“I prayed an almost impossible prayer,” she wrote. “‘Lord, please give me a deeper desire for Frank than I ever had for him, even more than at the beginning.’ It was an epic request. I was madly in love with Frank then and grateful to finally have the kind of exciting, thrilling, ecstatic love I had only known in books or movies. God answered my prayer and gave. I had a desire for Frank, unlike anything we had ever known. Every time we made love, it was truly healing for me.

“The laughter returned and our children grew up to be the two most extraordinary human beings I have ever known,” Gifford continued. “By the time they learned the truth about what had happened, they knew an even deeper truth: Their parents loved each other enough to trust in God’s healing.

“Our lives can take unexpected twists and turns. Some are the result of our choices, other times it’s because of someone else. No matter how difficult things can get, there’s no reason never too late to raise beauty from the ashes If you find yourself in a place like me – in the midst of a season of great difficulty – take a deep breath, face the truth in prayer, find a Christian counselor to help you. determine your next steps and trust God to guide you.

When news of Frank’s infidelity became public, it was their friend, Reverend Billy Graham, who called.

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“I saw Billy (Frank)’s words of mercy and grace,” Gifford wrote. “I could see his eyes fill with tears as he heard Billy’s beautiful voice say to him, ‘Remember, Frank, there is no condemnation in Christ. We have all sinned and come short of glory. of God.’ “Thank you, Billy,” was all Frank could say… Thank you, Billy Graham, thank you forever.

Gifford told Fox News Digital that what she remembers most about Graham is “his kindness to me.” The evangelist died in 2018 at the age of 99.

“I met him when I was in my 20s,” Gifford said. “He remained one of my best friends my whole life. He said something very, very important early on. He said, ‘Kathie, you’re going to have a great career in the entertainment industry. But I just want to let you know.’ that I have nothing to regret in life, other than getting involved in politics several times, I would never do that again If I were you, I would keep my message the same for the rest of your life and. your career. Be the same person on camera, off camera, wherever you are. Just tell people that Jesus loves them.

“That’s what I did,” Gifford said. “He gave me the audacity to say it. Many people will whisper to me, ‘I’m a believer too.’ I say, “Why are you whispering?” A lot of people are afraid to even be open about their faith, about their politics, about who they are… (But) I have to be bold for Him, I have to be.”

Although Gifford “never got over” Frank’s infidelity, their love endured. The beloved patriarch died in 2015 at the age of 84.

“It’s like when you have a scar,” she told Fox News Digital. “Maybe the hurt isn’t there anymore, but the memory of it is. I think marriage is a sacred, sacred relationship, and I’ve never been the same. No, I never have summer.

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“People come up to me a lot…They say, ‘I just want you to know that because you stayed in your marriage, I stayed in mine. And we’ve been happily married ever since we got over it. ‘ Marriage is hard. Falling in love is easy.