Gifford revealed that she was hospitalized for over a week after her fall
Kathie Lee Gifford says Howard Stern asked for forgiveness after 30-year feud
The Emmy Award-winning TV personality and former “Today” co-host has written a new book, “I Want to Matter: Your Life Is Too Short and Too Precious to Waste.”
Kathie Lee Gifford is on the mend after falling and fracturing her pelvis in two places.
On Tuesday, Gifford shared with People magazine that she had to stay in the hospital for a week to receive physical therapy after the incident. The beloved former “Today” show co-host was recovering from hip replacement surgery when she had the unfortunate fall.
Gifford explained that she had just moved 300 books by herself during a signing event in Nashville, Tennessee the day before she fell, which significantly weakened her body.
Kathie Lee Gifford fell while recovering from hip replacement surgery and was hospitalized for a week. (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
“It’s my own fault,” she said.
The fall happened the next day when one of her friends was visiting her home.
“It didn’t take much because I was weak in that spot,” Gifford confessed. “And the next thing you know, I am back in the hospital with a fractured pelvis in the front and back. It’s more painful than anything I went through with the hip. The pelvis is unbelievably painful. But anyway, here I am.”
She described the experience as “humbling” and chose to stay in the hospital for a week because she didn’t trust herself to be at home.
Kathie Lee Gifford fractured her pelvis in two places during her fall. (Getty Images)
“You think you know your body, and the next thing you know, your body changes when you get older,” she noted, acknowledging the unavoidable realities of aging.
Gifford continued, reflecting on the need to slow down after a lifetime of being on the go. “The Lord is telling me it’s time to slow down. I’ve been running my whole life. The Lord is telling me, ‘You’ve planted a gazillion roses. Try smelling them.’”
Earlier in the month, Gifford had described her hip replacement recovery as one of the most painful experiences of her life.
Kathie Lee Gifford described her hip replacement surgery as a “humbling” experience. (Photo by: Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
She acknowledged that she took on too much too soon after surgery, proudly stating that she was “off my walker in two days” and off all medications in three days, but admitted she overdid it.
“I walked, I climbed, I walked, and my doctor said, ‘Kathie, no. You have got to realize that this is serious.’”
Kathie Lee Gifford revealed that she was “off my walker in two days.” (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Despite pushing herself too hard too quickly, Gifford remains grateful for the experiences and lessons learned.
“My grandchildren came to visit, and I wanted to do everything for them,” she said, before realizing that she needed to listen to her body. “You can only do so much. You’re just human. And I’m so grateful.”
Kathie Lee Gifford has no regrets when it comes to her hip replacement surgery. (Getty Images)
The surgery was necessary due to the condition of her hips, which doctors attributed to her active lifestyle.
“You climbed mountains, you made movies, you got on stages. You never took off your high heels, and you kept going. That’s why you’re going through what you’re going through,” Gifford recalled specialists telling her.
Kathie Lee Gifford rose to fame in the early 1980s. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Reflecting on her career, Gifford has no regrets. “Would I change that? No. I was doing what God put me on this Earth to do. Every year of it, I was doing what He called me to do,” she said.
In the early 1980s, Gifford began her journey as a “Good Morning America” correspondent and later joined Regis Philbin to co-host “The Morning Show,” which became the widely popular “Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee,” making her a household name.
