Kelly Rizzo Is ‘Open’ to Dating Again but Jokes Late Husband Bob Saget Wouldn’t Want Her ‘Too Happy’

"You feel guilty if you have happy moments or if you're not feeling sad all the time," the 'Full House' actor's widow said

Kelly Rizzo attends the red carpet for Fox's "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" at Fox Studio Lot
Photo:

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Kelly Rizzo is getting candid about the idea of loving again after the death of her husband Bob Saget.

In an interview to discuss her debut on Fox's Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, the food blogger and host revealed that 20 months after late spouse's sudden death, she's now considering the possibly of dating again.

“I’m open to it, yes," Rizzo, 44, told Extra Monday, when asked if she’s at the point yet where she would be able to accept a date if she was asked out.

Of course, it took time for Rizzo to get there. She explained to the program that she's struggled with “survivor’s guilt" after the Full House actor’s died at the age of 65 in January 2022. “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…,” Rizzo admitted. “Now that enough time has passed, even his girls are always like... ‘That's silly. Heavenly Bob wants you to be happy.' "

That's different for how Rizzo said Saget would have felt if he was alive. “Earthly Bob would've been like... ‘Not too happy,' " she joked.

Rizzo had made similar comments in May 2020, when she said that Saget wouldn't have wanted her to move on. "Bob's like, 'You are not getting married again. And I want you to be really sad for a very long time,' " she said then.

Bob Saget (L) and Kelly Rizzo arrive at the EMMY For Your Consideration Event for Showtime's "Shameless"
Bob Saget (L) and Kelly Rizzo arrive at the EMMY For Your Consideration Event for Showtime's "Shameless" at the Linwood Dunn Theater on March 06, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.

Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

As for right now, Rizzo said she’s “still coming from a place of gratitude” in her grieving process as the second anniversary of her late husband’s death looms ahead.

“Just being so grateful for the time I had with Bob,” she told Extra. “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.”

As for what made her decide to join Special Forces, Rizzo said that she ultimately signed on to test her inner strength, which had already already been challenged. “When you go through a loss of a loved one, you don't feel that strong because you're in it,” she said. “You don't really have that perspective. But when everyone is telling you you have this incredible strength. You're like... 'Alright, let's put it to the test.' ”

Kelly Rizzo and Bob Saget attend the red carpet premiere and party for Peacock's new comedy series "MacGruber"
Kelly Rizzo and Bob Saget attend the red carpet premiere and party for Peacock's new comedy series "MacGruber" at California Science Center on December 08, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.

Leon Bennett/Getty Images

She further discussed her decision to join the reality show in an interview with PEOPLE last month at a Los Angeles press event for Special Forces, revealing that she had wanted to get the approval of Saget’s daughters — Aubrey, 36, Lara, 33, and Jennifer, 30 — before committing to anything.

"I'm like, 'You guys are okay with me doing this right?' " she said. "And they're like, 'Yeah, it looks cool.' And I was like, 'You think your dad would be okay with me doing this? Right?' And they're like, 'Yeah, we think he'd be proud. He'd think you're crazy, but we think he'd be proud.' "

"So getting that vote of confidence from them too really helped me make the decision," she added.

Rizzo and Saget met in 2015 and wed in 2018. Following the actor's death, Rizzo commemorated his life on social media and honored Saget with a poignant tribute onstage at The Comedy Store in January 2022 and also recently got a martini glass tattoo to honor his love for the popular cocktail.

Aubrey Saget, Bob Saget, Kelly Rizzo and Lara Saget
Aubrey Saget, Bob Saget, Kelly Rizzo and Lara Saget photographed for a photo. Leon Bennett/WireImage

By the time production started on the second season of Fox's Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, Rizzo said she felt she was "in a really good place."

"I feel like I might not have done it if I was still in a very bad place, but I mean, I was in a good place from pretty early on, because I've just been filled with so much gratitude," said Rizzo, adding that Saget's daughters were vital to the healing process. "There's no way I would be doing as well as I am if it wasn't for them. And vice versa, I think, too."

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Special Forces: World's Toughest Test airs Mondays on Fox.

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