Kelly Rizzo has shared her candid thoughts about dating again, nearly two years after her late husband Bob Saget’s death.
The actor, 44, spoke candidly about her grief following the passing of her husband during a recent interview with Extra, ahead of her upcoming appearance on the new season of FOX’ reality series, Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. On 9 January 2022, Saget was found dead in his hotel room in Orlando, Florida, with a medical report concluding that he died of accidental trauma to the head.
Speaking to Extra, Rizzo spoke about the guilt she’s felt since Saget died, while acknowledging that she hasn’t explored the dating scene again yet. She also joked about how the Full House star would feel about her finding happiness.
“Now that enough time has passed, even his girls are always like: ‘That’s silly,’” she said, referring to Saget’s three daughters, Aubrey, 36, Lara, 33, and Jennifer, 30, who he shared with ex-wife Sherri Kramer. “Heavenly Bob wants you to be happy.’ Earthly Bob would’ve been like: ‘Not too happy.’”
When asked if she’d accept an invitation to a date from someone, Rizzo responded: “I’m open to it, yes.”
She also addressed where she’s at in her grieving process, explaining that she’s “still just coming from a place of gratitude” and is “so grateful for the time” she had with the comedian.
“When he left a mark on this world like he did and left an incredible legacy that’s really all you can hope for out of life and he accomplished that and he did that,” she explained.
While describing the guilt she’s felt since her husband passed, she added: “You feel guilty if you have happy moments or if you’re not feeling sad all the time. You feel guilty about that, but then I learned that’s very normal.”
In February 2022, authorities investigating Saget’s death said there were no signs of drug use or alcohol in his passing. The Medical Examiner’s office also suggested that the comedian had “accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it, and went to sleep”.
Over the last year, Rizzo has continued to share her thoughts about finding someone new after Saget’s death. During a Q&A series – which she called a “14.5 month grief check-in” – on her Instagram Story in March, a fan asked if she’s started dating again. In response, she said that she “couldn’t think about” getting into a relationship.
“I was not even in my psyche to even cross that bridge and the thought of even anything serious anytime soon, I can’t even process. It’s just so complicated, so many emotions attached to that,” she explained on Instagram at the time, as reported by Entertainment Tonight.
However, she also described the types of dates that she would consider when the time is right for her.
“I will say, it does get a little bit lonely, so the thought of a coffee or a hike or something like that, I’d be open to,” she said. “But yeah, there’s a lot of ins, a lot of outs, a lot of what have you.”
Elsewhere in her interview with Extra, Rizzo acknowledged how her husband’s death encouraged her to go on Special Forces, during which a variety of celebrities take on demanding training exercises.
“When you go through a loss of a loved one, you don’t feel that strong because you’re in it. You don’t really have that perspective. But when everyone is telling you you have this incredible strength,” she said. “You’re like: ‘Alright, let’s put it to the test.’”
