It’s been two months since legendary sportscaster Frank Gifford passed away, but the memory of the former football star still lives on thanks to his loving family. At the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame Awards on Tuesday, Oct. 20, Gifford’s wife, Kathie Lee, and children, Cody and Cassidy, honored their father both on the red carpet and during an acceptance speech.
“He was a man who had his faults, as do we all, but he was a man that personified grace, dignity, love, compassion without any expectation of return,” 22-year-old Cassidy told the audience. “He was the kindest human being I was ever blessed with the privilege of knowing.”
Her older brother, Cody, 25, mirrored the sentiment and added a special note to Kathie Lee, saying, “Above all, he wanted to tell [you] how proud he is of you, Mom. He told me to tell you congratulations and that he loves you even now and more than ever.”
The tearful Today show co-host, 62, opened up to reporters on the red carpet about her late husband and how she’s been coping with his loss.
“We started out as friends, and we had a great love affair and then towards the end, we were the best of friends in a really good relationship — that’s what it should be,” she said. “We’re trying to get used to a new normal and that will take a while. I keep expecting him to come around the door, you know.”
As for the prospect of dating again, Kathie Lee quickly shut it down, noting, “Oh, I can’t even go there!”
But she is supportive, meanwhile, of her co-host Hoda Kotb’s longtime romance with her boyfriend of two years, Joel Schiffman.
“I want her to be happy,” she said. “I very much like the guy she’s been going out with for a couple of years now. He’s a sweetheart and he adores her.”
Though Kotb, 51, who also attended the event to support the Giffords, remained coy about the marriage question, she did add, “I wouldn’t say no!”
