Amanda Kloots is addressing a common misconception surrounding dating after the loss of a spouse: the idea that moving forward romantically means forgetting or abandoning the person who died. Kloots, whose husband, Broadway star Nick Cordero, passed away from COVID-19 in 2020, explained that widows and widowers often face judgment when they begin to open their hearts to new relationships.
"The heart can hold a lot of love," Kloots told Fox News Digital. "And just because I'm dating again or any widow or widower is dating again, it doesn't mean that you don't love your person that you lost still or any less. It’s in fact more."
Kloots emphasized that her perspective does not suggest grief disappears but rather that it doesn't have to prevent someone from living a full life. She likened the capacity for love to having more children, stating that the arrival of a new child does not diminish love for existing ones. "Your heart is able to hold many, many types of love, and I wish people understood that you can hold those two things very close."
She clarified that new love does not erase past love. For those considering a relationship with a widow or widower, Kloots stressed the importance of understanding this dynamic from the outset. "These people are never leaving our lives, but there's definitely room and space for new love, new relationships, new marriage and it's so beautiful."
Kloots encouraged friends and family to support those navigating this journey. "It is so difficult and it is so hard and if you make it harder for us, it really isn't fair," she said. "So really support those people and guide them along on this because they're doing something that is something they never wish they had to do. It's not, they're not dating again because ‘yay!’ It's a different type of dating again. So, support them, love them, be kind."
Cordero died on July 5, 2020, after a 95-day hospitalization battling COVID-19. The Broadway performer faced numerous health challenges, including mini-strokes, blood clots, infections, and a tracheostomy, before his right leg was amputated. Kloots publicly documented his struggle, sharing the experience with her followers as she, Cordero, and their infant son, Elvis, were beginning a new life in Los Angeles after moving from New York City in March 2020.
Kloots believes that ceasing to talk about a lost loved one is a significant mistake. "If he was still alive, I'd be talking about him all the time. He's still in my life. I have a son that I'm raising that's his, and I need to make sure that Elvis knows who his dad was and that the world never forgets him," she stated. "And I don't think anyone we lose has to be forgotten forever. Keep saying their names, keep talking about them, keep celebrating them, celebrate their birthdays, celebrate their anniversaries, honor them at the holidays, and every day. They can still be around."
Kloots also shared that she feels a continued spiritual connection to Cordero. "I feel like when you lose somebody there's such a finality with death, and you really feel like there's no way you'll ever connect with them again, of course. And I started asking for signs right away from Nick, and he started showing up and I just kind of really went all in on it... I do feel like he's around Elvis and I all the time, and we get signs all the time from him, and I feel like he's on my spirit team just guiding us every single day, and I do feel this really beautiful spiritual connection with him that has got me through these last six years."
This perspective has informed her recent work, including her role on the Netflix series "Let's Marry Harry." The show involves three friends guiding reality star Harry Jowsey's dating life, with Kloots acting as a confidante. Before filming, Kloots and Jowsey discussed love, marriage, and relationships. She advised him on the importance of how one loves and how marriage evolves, stressing communication with a partner. Observing Jowsey's romantic history, Kloots noted a pattern where he equated fighting with love. She encouraged him to reconsider this, reflecting on her own past experiences: "What if we flip the switch here? Because I've learned, you know, that I shouldn't have fought so much with my partner. I would take them all back now. I don't have him around anymore."
Kloots launched her podcast, "Good Grief with Amanda Kloots," to explore grief in its various forms, including loss through death, divorce, career changes, and the futures people envisioned. She maintains that while grief has no expiration date, neither does love. Six years after Cordero's death, she continues to carry his memory while embracing her future.
![Amanda Kloots and Nick Cordero at "A Bronx Tale" Broadway Opening Night]( "Amanda Kloots and Nick Cordero at "A Bronx Tale" Broadway Opening Night")