Kathie Lee Gifford recalled how her “Live” co-host Regis Philbin supported her during her late husband’s public cheating scandal in 1997.
The actress was married to Frank Gifford from 1986 until he died in 2015. His marriage had a tough time in 1997, when he was caught red-handed in an illicit affair with a stewardess named Suzen Johnson. Gifford and her husband, a former sportscaster and New York giant, managed to fix things and stayed married.
However, Gifford recently told People in an interview that overcoming the scandal was one of the most difficult things he had ever had to do, noting that Philbin did his best to protect his public persona from even greater scrutiny.
REGIS PHILBIN RECEIVES TRIBUTE TO KATHIE LEE GIFFORD CASSIDY’S DAUGHTER IN SWEET PHOTO WITH HER FATHER LATE
Kathie Lee and Frank Gifford are shown in 1992.
(AP)
“Everyone talks about the difficult times I went through that were public. And they were difficult times. By any definition, they were the most painful moments of my life, for sure, “Gifford, 66, told the magazine.
“But I always knew Regis was behind me. He always protected me in the air. The Bible says: ‘You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ I knew my own truth. “I was never going to let what the world said about me define me,” he added. “And he always supported me in all of that.”
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Gifford paid tribute to Philbin, who died last week at age 88, on Instagram, shortly after news of his death was made public. He also appeared for an interview on “Today” where he remembered the last time he saw him.
“I was so thankful that the Lord gave me that last time,” Gifford said of his last meeting at his Greenwich, Connecticut home. “And it was very valuable because when I spoke to Joy the day I found out just after he had passed, he said,” Kathie hadn’t laughed in a long, long time. “She said, ‘I was so worried about him.'”
“I think he was like Frank. He was ready, you know? … And she said, ‘The day we came to lunch with you was the last time I heard him laugh.’ That will forever be a precious gift that the Lord gave me. , that I had to laugh again with one of my best friends in all my life “.
Kathy Lee Gifford and Regis Philbin are seen in New York City on September 23, 2015.
(Michael Stewart / GC Images)
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Philbin and Gifford hosted the daytime talk show from 1985 to 2000.
