The Truth About Amanda Kloots
Talk about a roller-coaster 2020. Amanda Kloots was just announced as one of the new co-hosts of The Talk, along with Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Elaine Welteroth (via Page Six). The pair replaces departing hosts Marie Osmond and Eve, and will be joining returning hosts Carrie Ann Inaba, Sharon Osbourne, and Sheryl Underwood. For Kloots, who guest-hosted the show this past fall, this was a much-needed bit of good news. "I am thrilled and honored to join this incredible cast and crew. From the very first time I guest co-hosted on 'The Talk,' I knew I was among a very special group of people. I look forward to starting off the new year with honest and thought-provoking discussions, mixed with plenty of fun and laughter too," she said in a statement on her Instagram account.
But it's a bittersweet triumph for Kloots, who found herself in the public eye earlier this year for a much more tragic reason. Her husband, Broadway performer Nick Cordero, fought a three-month battle with COVID-19 complications, before finally succumbing to the disease in July at 41 (via CNN). The two share a son, Elvis, now one. Her Instagram statement credited Cordero with having a hand in her Talk success: "My angel in heaven is certainly looking out for us," she posted.
Amanda Kloots' road to success was rocky
Kloots was raised in Ohio and moved to New York City to pursue a dancing career. She had a stint as a Radio City Music Hall Rockette and appeared as an ensemble dancer in four short-lived Broadway musicals, including Bullets Over Broadway, a musical based on the Woody Allen comedy (via USA Today). The show closed after just three months, and to add insult to injury, Kloots was in the midst of a divorce from her husband of seven years. She admitted to Time that it "stung" to see her latest job vanish, but the sting didn't last long. It was through that show that she met Tony-nominated Cordero, and after a short engagement, they wed in 2017 (per Playbill).
Kloots decided to turn her focus from performing to helping others get into killer shape. She became a celebrity trainer and created a jump rope-based workout regime called The Rope. As her website explains, "Amanda's classes are a mix of dance and cross training with special attention on form and details to create a unique, fun workout that will have you drenched in sweat in minutes!"
The young widow is also hoping to help others cope with devastating loss by sharing her story in book form. With her sister, Anna, Kloots, she has written Live Your Life: My Story of Loving and Losing Nick Cordero, due to be published next June by Harper, per People.