When Patrick Swayze died from pancreatic cancer at 57, he left behind his wife, who has now reflected on the experience of finding love again.
Lisa Niemi Swayze married the actor in 1975, staying by his side until he died in 2009.
In a new interview, Lisa, 67, has opened up about meeting her current husband Albert DePrisco, revealing she faced backlash from fans who felt she was moving on from Patrick too quickly.
“Yes, I got a lot of flack. It’s like, ‘How dare you’,” she said on the Amy and TJ podcast.
Watch the video above.
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“There are some pretty rabid Patrick fans out there who think I’m evil, just don’t like me because I was married to him.
“So there was a lot of flack that came on that, a lot of criticism, and you just learn to deal with it and move on.
“But it’s like – I was so tempted so many times to say, ‘Hey girlfriend, stand in my shoes, tell me about it. Go ahead, tell me just because I lost my husband that I don’t love him anymore.'”
“How could you say that?’ she continued. “Ridiculous.”
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Lisa and Patrick were teenagers when they met in Houston, Texas, at his mother Patsy’s dance studio.
Both moved to New York City together after high school, quickly beginning successful Hollywood careers, with Lisa performing with the prestigious Joffrey Ballet.
In the podcast, Lisa says she and DePrisco, who she married in 2014, met “about three years” after Patrick’s death.
DePrisco had also been married, getting divorced before meeting Lisa through mutual friends.
“If we had met before then, it wouldn’t have happened, but after three years we were about ready,” she said.
“We were introduced by longtime friends that we had both known for 30 years who vouched for the other person.”
Lisa and Patrick were married for 34 years, a feat so impressive that she still loves him despite being happily remarried.
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“Patrick is still with me. I still have a relationship with him; he’s physically not here, [but] every day he’s with me and I feel him there,” she said.
“What was really unusual was … I really fell in love with Albert, and it didn’t affect — it was interesting to see how it didn’t affect my love for Patrick one bit.”
“Just because you lose a loved one doesn’t mean you stop loving, and you don’t have that love to give,” Lisa said.
“And I think Albert and I were fortunate to find someone to give that love to.”
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