Kathie Lee Gifford: 'There Are Times When I'm Overwhelmed By Loneliness' in Wake of Frank's Death

Kathie Lee Gifford continues to mourn the loss of her late husband Frank, but she’s found peace knowing he’s in a better place.

In August 2015, the Today show anchor laid Frank to rest when he passed away at the age of 84. On the morning of his death, Kathie said she felt a “peace that passes all understanding” when she saw the amazed look on her husband’s face.

Although Kathie, 64, is “so grateful that Frank is exactly where he’s supposed to be,” she has battled feelings of loneliness in the two-and-a-half years since his death.

“My biggest struggle at this point in my life is loneliness. I’ve lost my parents, my husband is gone now and my children live far away from me. I still live in the same big house where we made a gazillion, million memories. And there are times when I am overwhelmed by loneliness,” she said.

“But I’ve discovered that if I just keep thinking about what I’ve lost, I don’t pay any attention to what I still have. I don’t want to live my life in hopelessness. I’ve been there — that’s a town I’ve been to: hopelessness,” Kathie added.

Over the course of her 29-year marriage to Frank, Kathie faced both highs — the birth of their two children: son Cody, 27, and daughter Cassidy, 24 — and lows.

“My husband was unfaithful to me during a brief time in our marriage. It was devastating to me, but I was able to stay in my marriage and have God heal it,” she said about Frank’s infidelity.

“And as a result. I’ve heard from hundreds of thousands of people since then who got courage from that. Courage to forgive their husbands or their wives. Courage to keep their families together. Not everybody does, but I’ve heard from hundreds of thousands of people through the years who did,” said Kathie.

Throughout the hardships that she’s faced, Kathie has found comfort and peace through her faith in Jesus Christ.

“My joy is non-negotiable. I tell you, that’s the beginning of bliss in life. You understand where your joy comes from and then you protect it with everything in you. I want to be purposeful every day of my life — every moment of it,” she said.

Added Kathie: “God is not the enemy of joy. He is the creator of joy! We got a lot to rejoice about. You wanna fly? You wanna soar? You want to dream big dreams and see them come true? You need to partner with the right person: only Jesus.”