Kathie Lee Gifford Explains Why She Chose to 'Immediately Forgive' Late Husband Frank Gifford for Cheating on Her

Kathie Lee Gifford chose to forgive and forget after late husband Frank Gifford cheated on her in 1997.

"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," the TV star, 70, explained in a new interview of her decision to move forward with the NFL alum, with whom she had two children with.

"I have always felt from my earliest youth that I had the choice every day of my life to be a blessing or a burden and I want to be a blessing," the Today alum, 70, added.

Kathie Lee had also been in that situation before, as ex-husband Paul Johnson cheated on her — though that union lasted only from 1976 to 1982.

"I'd been married before to a man who betrayed me deeply and I forgave him right away. You don't hold on, don't wait to forgive… you're only hurting yourself," she shared. "Immediately forgive because love cannot live where hate does."

Though dealing with the late athlete's infidelity was "painful," especially since their kids were young at the time, Kathie Lee knew that staying in the marriage was the right decision.

"It's a cancer in your soul and I don't want that. I don't want it for me, I don't want it for anyone I love. I want people to be blessed and we all make our choices. We all make our choices — he [Frank] made a different one than I did and we all live with them," expressed the mom-of-two. "But I can live with the choices I have made if I have truly experienced a deep and abiding forgiveness of that person."

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After Frank died at age 84 in 2015, Kathie Lee became romantically linked to Richard Spitz in 2021. However, an insider told a news outlet that her kids weren't Spitz's biggest fans, as they allegedly felt he was taking advantage of the star.

"Her children and close friends and family are heartbroken that she continues this toxic relationship with this man who they say treats her horribly," the confidante noted last year. "Cassidy and Cody do not approve of the relationship and want her to move on with her life so she can meet someone who will love and cherish her."

In February 2023, Hoda Kotb revealed her pal was now single.

Entertainment Tonight spoke to Kathie Lee.