Amanda Kloots says her son Elvis would be 'crying at the door' when she went on dates: 'I feel guilt'
Amanda Kloots is sharing how she keeps her late husband Nick Cordero’s memory alive for their 3-year-old son, Elvis.
The TV personality spoke to Jana Kramer on her podcast Whine Down, and explained the conversations she has with her toddler about his father, who died in 2020 of complications related to COVID-19 — one of the most high-profile deaths from the virus at the time.
“We have this pillow that is … Nick in a suit,” Kloots said. “I keep it by Elvis’ bed and when I change his diaper, I give it to him and I tell him, ‘Tell Daddy about your day.’ So I'm like, tell him about school or something. He takes the pillow and he goes, ‘I love you so much. I wish you lived with us.’”
While Kloots notes the conversation is difficult, she said it’s important for her to be as “honest” as possible when speaking about what happened to her late husband.
“I just say ‘Dada got sick, he went to the hospital and he died and he lives in heaven. And he's around as always, and he's always watching you and you can always talk to him,’” the Entertainment Tonight correspondent shared.
Kloots also spoke about the challenges of dating after the death of her spouse, as well as the “guilt” of being a single mom and sometimes leaving Elvis.
“I have not dated a lot. This is the first time I'm dating, at 40 years old,” she explained. “I would make all this effort to go on these dates … Elvis would be crying at the door, I'd be walking away being like, ‘Why am I leaving my son to go meet this person? I don't even know. I'm stressed out now. I feel guilt.’”
Kloots shared that she has not been on a date in October or November, something she feels “great” about.
“I'm so happy, I love it,” Kloots admitted. “I love not having to stress and I feel totally fine about it right now actually.”
The Talk co-host previously appeared on The Important Things With Bobbi Brown podcast in October, where she said that Elvis is struggling in the wake of his father’s death.
"Why dad doesn't live with us, what happened to dad, it's been really, really, really hard," said Kloots of explaining where Cordero is to Elvis. "Even this year. He doesn't want me to leave the house, he doesn't want babysitters to come over, so finding that balance of being a working mom and trying to also maybe go on a date here and there. You feel guilty every time you leave the house and he's crying."
In a 2021 interview for Yahoo Life’s the Unwind, Kloots reflected on what her future may hold in the love department.
"I am totally open to finding love again," she said at the time. "I love love. I love being married. I love being in a relationship. I love having a companion. I would love to have somebody in Elvis's life that would be that male figure for him.”
She added that finding a new relationship is what “Nick would want” for her.
“I know that because I would want that for him, if the tables were turned and it was me,” she shared. “I'm hopeful that there's somebody else out there for me. I really am. And when I'm ready, I hope that Nick brings him to me... I'm sure he'll have his fingers up in heaven orchestrating something."
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