PHOTOGRAPHED BY ALEX JAY
Despite the heartbreaking—and very public—loss of her husband, Amanda Kloots let the power of positivity guide the way.
A lot has changed in the past few years, and few understand that more than Amanda Kloots (amandakloots.com). Known for her positive attitude, the Broadway alum and fitness powerhouse suffered a major loss when her husband, Nick Cordero, passed away from COVID-19 nearly two years ago. Through it all, Kloots kept her many Instagram fans informed, inspiring followers with her raw, open dialogue; daily singalongs to Cordero’s song “Live Your Life”; and her strength caring for their son, Elvis. Since then, Kloots’ star has skyrocketed. Not only is she co-host of The Talk, but she was also a fierce competitor on Dancing With the Stars, and has written a New York Times bestselling book with her sister, Anna, appropriately titled Live Your Life. Now, that book is being turned into a film, ensuring that Cordero’s legacy lives on. Here, Kloots opens up about dealing with grief, the importance of staying positive and what we can expect from her next.
You have been very busy! Can you fill us in on what you’ve been up to? I’m doing The Talk Monday through Thursday. I’ve also been working on the screenplay of Live Your Life. I’m working on a Christmas movie with CBS, and a children’s book, and my fitness app, so I’m trying to balance all those things. Each day usually revolves around one, two or three of those things. I’m home by 5:30, then there’s dinner, I put Elvis to bed, then I work some more until I pass out.
So many followed you throughout Nick’s battle with COVID. How were you able to stay so open and positive through it all? I just never believed that Nick wouldn’t make it. If you stay positive, it keeps you in a better mindset and you have something to hope for. It was never an option not to be positive. I wasn’t gonna settle for it.
So what advice would you give to those going through a personal struggle or dealing with grief? You have to practice positivity and gratefulness daily. Get up, make your coffee, take a shower, think positive, read something positive, do a meditation, read a daily devotional—do whatever you need to do to put yourself in that mindset.
You are such a busy person. How do you manage to squeeze working out into your day? My fitness routine is a bit different every day, but I always make sure to jump rope 10 minutes a day. I do that usually while I’m on producer meetings at The Talk. So if my day gets crazy, at least I’ve done that 10 minutes of jumping rope. But I like to switch things up with my workouts; I like to box, I like to do Pilates. I keep my body guessing so that it doesn’t get bored and that I don’t get bored.
What’s next for you? Well, I get to host the Grammys red carpet coming up. I’m really excited about that because I just love music so much. I’m also finishing my children’s book, and it’s so exciting to see that come to life. I’m hopefully filming my Christmas movie that I created with CBS, so I’ll be back into acting, something I haven’t done in a long time. It will be super exciting to do that.
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