Kathie Lee Gifford Hospitalized After Fall During Hip Replacement Recovery

Kathie Lee Gifford recently shared with PEOPLE that she was hospitalized after a fall while recovering from her hip replacement surgery. The 70-year-old former Today co-host revealed she fractured her pelvis in two places and spent over a week in the hospital for physical therapy.

How the Accident Happened

Gifford explained that she “moved 300 books by myself” during book signings in Nashville. “I weakened my body,” she admitted, adding, “It’s my own fault.” The next day, a friend arrived to pick her up. Gifford rushed to the door and, unfortunately, tripped. “I was weak in that spot,” she explained. “The next thing you know, I’m back in the hospital with a fractured pelvis, both 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.”

A Humbling Experience

Gifford described her time in the hospital as a “humbling experience” and decided to stay there for a full week because she didn’t trust herself at home. “You think you know your body,” she said, “but it changes as you get older. As much as I don’t want to think about it, I am getting older.” Reflecting on her situation, she said, “It’s summer for everybody but me. But it’s OK. I’m going to get out to my little farm one of these days and stick my feet in my salt pool. The Lord is telling me it’s time to slow down. I’ve been running my whole life. He’s telling me, ‘You’ve planted a gazillion roses. Try smelling them.'”

The Painful Road to Recovery

Earlier this month, Gifford spoke with PEOPLE about her hip replacement surgery and recovery. She described it as “one of the most painful situations of my entire life.” “It’s been really hard,” she added. Due to her active lifestyle, she needed the surgery. Her surgeon explained, “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.”

Embracing Life Despite Challenges

Despite the challenging recovery, Gifford remains positive about her active lifestyle. “Would I change that?” she asked herself. “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 stated.

Continuing Her Passion for Storytelling

Gifford’s hospitalization hasn’t stopped her from celebrating the release of her new book, Herod and Mary: The True Story of the Tyrant King and the Mother of the Risen Savior. This historical nonfiction book explores how Herod came to power, the corruption and evil that threatened a nation, and how Mary was called to bring Jesus into the world.

Gifford shared that the idea for the book came to her during a rabbinical trip to Israel a few years ago. Her son, Cody, 34, convinced her that these stories needed to be told. “People need hope,” he told her.

“I don’t know how much time the Lord has me still on this earth,” Gifford said, “but for whatever time it is, I pray that I would be useful. That I would be kind, helpful, and loving to people. I am a strong woman, but I’m a woman who has been trying for 60 years to do godly work, trying to do the right thing, trying to love people, and trying to represent the kingdom of God.”