Instead Of Enjoying ‘Candles and Romance,’ Kathie Lee Gifford Sobbed Her Eyes Out On Her Wedding Night

Nov 17, 2021 by apost team

Kathie Lee Gifford is a woman of many talents and positive attributes, and she has become one of the most successful women in the television industry. Her extraordinary talents spread across the board, from singing and songwriting to acting and even to writing. Gifford is most known for her jobs as a television presenter on multiple morning shows, including “Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee” and “The Today Show.”

Gifford has had her fair share of success, love, and heartbreak, as she has been through quite a lot in her personal life over the long course of her incredible career. Despite all of the challenges she has faced, Gifford has kept a smile on her face and has continued to exceed people’s expectations in the entertainment industry. 

The star lost her husband in 2015 but has been fortunate enough to find love once again. The memory of her late husband, Frank Gifford, continues to live on in their two children together, who have grown to be just like their famous parents. One son named Cody and one daughter named Cassidy, who are both absolutely gorgeous. 

Before Kathie Lee met Frank, she was married to a man named Paul Johnson who was a composer and publisher of Christian music. On the outside, it seemed they had a picture-perfect relationship, but the truth was much more troubled. The couple was never intimate with each other and rarely talked by the end of their marriage. They tried counseling but it didn’t seem to help. Keep reading to learn more about Gifford’s early life, career and challenging first marriage.

Gifford was born on Aug. 16, 1953, in Paris, France, to her American parents, Joan and Aaron Epstein. Joan was a singer, and Aaron was a musician and former US Navy Chief Petty Officer. The family was living in France at the time of Gifford’s birth since her father was stationed there, but they moved back to the United States and raised Gifford in Bowie, Maryland. 

The potential star first showcased some of her talents during high school when she participated in a folk group called Pennsylvania Next Right. Gifford was the singer for the band, which usually performed at their school assemblies. 

Gifford continued on with her love of the arts, specifically music, and attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she studied drama and music. The up-and-coming star made her first regular television appearances as a singer on the game show “Name That Tune” during the late 1970s.

In June 1985, Gifford hit her stride and landed a huge opportunity for her career. She replaced Ann Abernathy as co-host of “The Morning Show” with Regis Philbin. After joining the show, the title was changed to “Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee,” and Gifford quickly became a household name. 

Both fans and critics alike fell in love with Gifford’s infectious personality and charming characteristics. She was nominated for eight consecutive years in a row for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host alongside her co-host Philbin. After an incredible run with the program, Gifford left “Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee” in July 2000.

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When Gifford met her first husband, she expected their wedding night to go differently than it ended up. “It was, like, YABBA-DABBA-DOO! I lost every inhibition I’d ever had. It was time for candles and romance, time to boogie and swing from the chandeliers. And yet we just couldn’t seem to get relaxed with each other,” she told People in 1992. She added that the night ended with her in tears. 

Both Gifford and Johnson are devoted Christians and stayed together for six years despite the issues they were having. "The truth is, it was only a marriage in the pages of the law. Though Paul and I were married, we shared only one thing — our faith," Gifford said in her memoir “It’s Never Too Late,” reports Today.

Thankfully, with her successful career, Gifford had something positive to focus on. "Though we had shared the same bed, we had never been truly intimate, and now we’d stopped talking too," she said. "The only time I was joyful was when I could escape the despair of my marriage and lose myself in my work."

On paper, it seemed like the relationship should have worked. “I was the Last Hollywood Virgin ... (Paul was) the ultimate Christian catch,” Gifford explained. “We all want to love and be loved, and when it doesn’t happen, it’s devastating, we saved ourselves for so long and expected it to be so good because we had done it ‘right.’ It was not passionate, and it was not successful, but it was polite.”

In the end, Gifford and Johnson’s relationship left her feeling rejected. She shared, “At the end of my marriage, I felt like I had presented myself as a gift to my husband that had been given back.”

What do you think of Gifford’s hardships from her first marriage? Are you a fan of her work? Let us know and be sure to pass this along to your friends and family.