News anchorHoda Kotb has had a stunning transformationand has become a source of inspiration for many.
Kotb didn’t understand why she was bullied, and it almost turned physical.
Kotb encouraged others to support the campaign to help teens become educated about the ramifications of bullying.
“No act of kindness is ever wasted,” Kotb said in a promotionalvideo.
Unfortunately, Kotb lost her father unexpectedly while she was in college.
Her father had a heart attack, and she learned the devastating news while at a Greek event.
“I was marching around college, not paying attention.
I used to wear glasses, I took my glasses off.
Kotb still struggles with the loss of her father today.
In an interview withPrevention, Kotb shared that after her father’s death, she unwittingly gained some weight.
It wasn’t until one of her bosses mentioned to her that she needed to lose weight.
“My sister was saying, ‘I really think you should probably drop a few of these.
I’m not trying to be mean, but chop, chop,'” Kotb said.
“I think I started crying.
I’d been on TV for a few years, and I didn’t really notice.”
Kotb still struggles with her self-confidence at times.
“There is a weird feeling when someone is looking at everyone but you.
It’s like, ‘Hi, I’m here, and I’m in this group.’
I really try, when there are moments like that, to excuse myself,” Kotb said.
But she certainly has characteristics she likes about herself, too.
Unfortunately,the early days of Hoda Kotb’s career were marked with strugglessuch as rejection and discouragement.
In an interview withE!
News, Kotb recalled hearing some awful words from a professor as she was studying to become a journalist.
Kotb didn’t heed her professor’s advice, believing in her own desire to make her career happen.
The anchor had to work hard to make her career happen.
Finally, Kotb got a call from a station in Mississippi and took the job.
“I didn’t have talent.
I didn’t have experience.
I didn’t really have the TV look.
I had none of the things you need in our industry… “When I got my first job out of college in Mississippi, I was flat broke.
““Adel had worked all summer at a Church’s Chicken, pocketing a total of $1,000.
He saved every dime,” she continued.
“The car dealer was demanding that I put money down.
Adel gave me his entire summer salary to buy that car.
Without hesitation, he wrote me a check.”
Hoda said her brother never mentioned the money he spotted her, and the two are still close today.
It took a while for Hoda’s financial situation to improve, though.
“I couldn’t pay all my bills at the same time.
So I was like, ‘I’ll pay this one, and then pay that one.'”
Once Kotb found a doctor she liked, she had to agree to a treatment plan.
Upon diagnosis, Kotb initially planned to keep her medical news private.
After all, manycelebrity health struggles completely fly under the radarbecause stars choose to keep these details to themselves.
Kotb opened up about learning the news in an interview withGood Housekeeping.
“My oncologist called and we were talking about freezing my eggs.
I was in my room and I just sobbed,” Kotb said of learning the news.
“The reality seemed impossible to bear.
AlthoughKotb has gotten painfully real about her journey to motherhood, it ultimately didn’t end in heartbreak.
You realize we sometimes blow things out of proportion,” Kotb said.
She went through a tough divorce
Sadly, 2007 was not a banner year for Hoda Kotb.
In addition to being diagnosed with breast cancer, Kotb filed for divorce from her then-husband, Burzis Kanga.
Kotb and Kanga, a tennis coach, met while Kotb was living in New Orleans.
The two dated on and off for years, and they got married in the Dominican Republic in 2005.
And things between the couple were great to start.
“He proposed last May and we married in December.
And married life has been great!
Things got tough for Kanga and Kotb fast.
Though Kotb has not talked much about her past relationship, Kanga shared insight into the marriage withRadar Online.
“The divorce happened under difficult conditions.
Those were personal reasons for both of us.
In hindsight, there was [a] level of immaturity on my part, mistakes I made.
It was unfortunate we were married for a short time.
It’s a shame it transpired that way,” Kanga said.
Not only has she fought the disease herself, but she’s also lost a close friend to it.
“3 years ago we lost a great man.
Kotb has kept John’s memory alive in another way through her own daughter.
Years after ending her marriage, Kotb started dating financier Joel Schiffman.
Kotb and Schiffman were engaged for the latter half of their relationship, but they broke up in 2022.
“It’s not like something happened.
A couple of years later,Kotb opened up about her breakup with Schiffmanagain.
“I think when people are growing at different paces, it’s hard to be in sync.
And I think a lot of people are probably in these situations.
And I get it,” Kotb said on an episode of “Today,” as reported byPeople.
Schiffman and Kotb share their adopted daughters and remain friends and co-parents.
Others have weighed in on Kotb and Schiffman’s breakup, too.
“Raising young children wasn’t his priority, and she understood that.
She doesn’t fault him for his decision.
It was sad at first.
She still misses him, but she’s moved on from that,” the source said.
Though Kotb has not shared the exact issues Hope has faced, they appear to be long-term conditions.
Thankfully for Kotb and her family, Hope’s been getting better.
“We’re in a place where Hope is thriving.
“We really have excellent care; I have people helping us out.
I feel like she is finding steady footing.”
