TODAY host Hoda Kotb and her fiance Joel Schiffman have split after eight years together.

The pair share two daughters – Hope, two, and Haley, four.

Hoda revealed the break-up on the Today show on Monday.

She told viewers: "Joel and I have had a lot of prayerful and meaningful conversations over the holidays and we decided that we are better as friends and parents than we are as an engaged couple.

“So we decided we are going to start this new year on our new path as loving parents to our adorably delightful children and as friends.”

The former couple had been together since 2013 and became engaged in November 2019.

They had originally planned on getting married in 2020 but had to postpone due to the pandemic.

Hoda had shared of the wedding plans at the time: "[It] would mean people are getting on planes so we were kind of holding out to see what could happen.

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“But the destination that we were going to is turning into one of the hot spots so it looks like we may have to postpone.

“We’re kind of bummed about that because the place we were going was like our favorite place on Earth. We love it there.”

Later that year, the TV personality revealed she and Joel were planning to expand their family and adopt a third child.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Hoda said in 2020: "Joel and I have had this conversation because — you feel like you get a limited amount of time on Earth and your heart expands, and sometimes you don't realize your heart's ability to expand until you've filled (it), and sometimes you think you're at the top, and then you realize that there's more room.

"And we wondered, would our family be better with another child? Do we have enough love? Do we have enough time? Will we be a better family? And the answer to all those questions seems to be yes.

"But you can't control how life works. All we can do is put it into the universe and fill out papers and then wait and if it happens wow, you know, that was meant to be."

Announcing the pair's split on Monday during the third hour of Today, Hoda explained that she had been getting a lot of questions from viewers about why she was no longer wearing her engagement ring.

Though she admitted it felt "weird and awkward" to talk about this and was "struggling" with what to say, she wanted to open up with fans and let them know what's happening.

Hoda added in explanation: “It’s not like something happened. 

“They say sometimes relationships are meant to be there for a reason, a season or a lifetime, this was for a season."

More to follow…

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