Kathie Lee Gifford Shares 'Painful' Health Update Amid Recovery From Surgical Procedure

Kathie Lee Gifford is on the road to recovery after undergoing a major surgical procedure.

The author opened up about her health status while chatting about her upcoming historical nonfiction novel, Herod and Mary: The True Story of the Tyrant King and the Mother of the Risen Savior , sharing that recuperating from a hip replacement is taking up much of her time after her “hips [were worn] down to the nubs.”

It was an unfortunate reality brought on by a very active lifestyle, with her surgeon once explaining to her, “You climbed mountains, you made movies, you got on stages. You never took off your high heels, and you kept going and that's why you're going through what you're going through."

True to form, that's how Gifford, 70, tried to take on her recovery, too—something she soon realized wasn't going to be possible. Thinking the surgery and its aftermath would be "easy," Gifford said she "jumped off that gurney" right after the procedure.

“I walked, I climbed, I walked, and my doctor said, ‘Kathie, no. You have got to realize that this is serious,’” she shared. But she ditched her walker after two days and her meds after three before realizing she "did too much."

"I just did too much because that's who I am,” the former Today star admitted, revealing that the recovery period has been “one of the most painful situations of my entire life.”

There are lessons to be learned in any situation, and Gifford credits this one with teaching her "that you only can only [sic] do so much."

"You're just human," she added. "And I'm so grateful.” And there's nothing she would change, either, even if given the opportunity.

Next: Kathie Lee Gifford Shares the Greatest Life Lessons She Taught Her Children