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Savannah Guthrie will always have a special place in Hoda Kotb’s heart — and now, her jewelry box.
On Jan. 10, Kotb, 60, made her exit from Today after 17 years co-anchoring on the show, which has been an event celebrated with a weeklong sendoff deemed a “Hoda-bration.”
In the lead-up to her departure, Kotb told PEOPLE she received memorabilia and gifts all week long from fans and colleagues. “I love it — I’m taking it, I’m wearing it, I’m drinking it, I’m eating it, people are making cookies,” she gushed. “I’m reading it. I mean, these cards, I can’t with the cards. The cards are my favorite part.”
Included in that were two meaningful pieces of jewelry she received from Guthrie. “She gave me this ring that says, ‘love.’ And she gave me this bracelet that says, ‘with you,’” Kotb revealed.
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The accessories could be seen in detail in an Instagram video shared by Today, in which Kotb said she felt “thankful, overflowing and protected” just from having Guthrie, 53, by her side on her last day on the Today set.
As for Guthrie’s emotions? She simply described the day with gratitude, saying her one word was “thanks.”
In addition to the jewelry, Guthrie gifted Kotb a set of pom-poms as an ode to all the support she’s given over the years and a clock with a shattered face on it because she doesn’t “need an alarm clock anymore.”
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“Let me tell you something about her: she always shows up,” Kotb told PEOPLE of Guthrie. “She always shows up. That’s what she does the best. She shows up for people, for her friends. She shows up.”
It wasn’t that long ago when Kotb received another heartfelt gift from her costar. In a Today clip posted on Christmas Day, the mom of two unwrapped a set of wishing candles and an acrylic stand decorated with Josh Garrel’s lyrics, “May you find a light to guide you home,” that Guthrie bought as her Secret Santa.
@todayshow Hoda Kotb tears up opening Savannah Guthrie’s Secret Santa gift ❤️ #TODAYShow ♬ original sound – TODAY Show
Kotb, whose position will be filled by Craig Melvin, will now move into a new chapter of life that involves spending more time with her daughters, Haley Joy, 7, and Hope Catherine, 5. She also is starting a wellness app and company, which will involve retreats and a podcast launching this spring.
“Someone said to me, ‘When you jump… imagine yourself on the other side. Imagine what you feel like. Feel it,’” Kotb told PEOPLE. “‘It’s like when you jump out of a relationship into a new one, imagine what his hand feels like. How do you feel, standing next to him? Do you feel seen, respected, loved? That’s the relationship you want to be in.’”
She adds: “‘It’s like that with the job too. Imagine how you feel there. You’re nourishing people, you’re helping them with this wellness company. That’s good. And how else do you feel? You feel lighter, you feel inspired, you have more creativity, you slept better. And more importantly than all of it is, you became a better mother every day because you got to be there.’”
