Why Kelly Frey is Embracing Her New Life — and Career
– Wtae News Anchor Kelly Frey –
The former WTAE-TV morning news anchor discusses her career, health, and why she’s investing in the West End.
Kelly Frey is rejuvenated. As rested as a parent of a special-needs child may be.
“I would still want to get 8 hours of decent sleep a night,” the former WTAE-TV morning news anchor adds, noting that her 12-year-old son, Bennett, was born with Dandy-Walker syndrome and hydrocephalus and requires 24-hour care.
“In general, it appears that I’m getting more sleep now that I don’t have to get up at 2 a.m.”
Frey, who is also the mother of Marena, 11, departed the station last November after 21 years, a tough but not-on-the-spot decision she claims she made after failing to reach an agreement with WTAE on her contract, which expired in December.
“A lot of supposition and ideas were thrown around,” she recalls. “However, it is true that we were unable to reach an employment deal.”
“Kelly has been a key part of our family and success over the last 21 years,” WTAE states in a statement. We wish Kelly and her family the best of luck.”
Frey Quit the Station
It is also true that Frey, 48, quit the station without a job lined up. For a while, she relished the extra hours of sleep and the novelty of not having to work holiday mornings while she spent time with family and pondered what to do next.
Jason Luhn, her husband, had recently retired from the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Coraopolis, where he had been a pilot with the Air National Guard Unit, a post that frequently forced him to be sent overseas.
While Frey stayed at home, they explored Luhn, 49, becoming a private pilot, but “it ultimately started to materialize that he wasn’t going to do a flying profession that would take him away from home too much again,” she says.
Instead, their chats prompted them to pursue what they’d always wanted to do: buy, improve, and eventually sell real estate, with a special concentration on their West End neighborhood.
Frey’s Health
The choice to launch their own business coincided with Frey’s latest health setback. Although she has rarely spoken publicly about it, the breast cancer survivor was diagnosed with a rare acoustic lipoma 30 years ago, which caused considerable hearing loss.
“It’s a benign fatty tumor,” explains Frey. “I discovered it when I was 18 because I was having dizzy episodes and eventually lost nearly half of my hearing in my left ear.”
But it’s not a big issue. I’ve always functioned with half-hearing.” Frey is currently attempting to control the inner ear issue with diet, medicine, chiropractic care, and acupuncture.
She has mostly given up salt, alcohol, and caffeine, which she claims would have been unthinkable if she had kept her morning anchor job.
More sleep has also been essential in resolving the issue.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- How old is Kelly Frye?
37 years
- What disease does Kelly Frey’s son have?
Dandy-Walker Syndrome
- Who Quit WTAE?
Kelly Frey
- Why did Brittany Hoke Leave WTAE?
WTAE weekend evening anchor/reporter Brittany Hoke said in January she chose to walk away from her “anchor job” at Channel 4 in favor of “freedom.” Hoke gave birth to a daughter in October.
- How old is Michelle Wright?
60 years
- How many kids does Kelly Frey have?
Staying home is nothing new for Kelly Frey and her brood. Even before the pandemic, the WTAE-TV Pittsburgh Action News 4 anchor; her husband, Jason Luhn; son, Bennett; and daughter, Marena, typically didn’t stray far from their renovated, wheelchair-accessible Victorian in Pittsburgh’s West End
- Is Brittany Hoke Married?
Yes
- Where is Sally Wiggin?
Sally Wiggin is a retired news anchor at WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh. She used to host Black & Gold Primetime & Chronicle until she retired but is now advocating for wildlife & community.
- How Old is Stacy Smith on KDKA?
72
- How many Kids does Michelle Wright have?
Two children
Frey becomes upset when discussing her decision to leave the morning news show, especially when she speaks of the longstanding viewers who she says supported her throughout her journey with Bennett, who was not supposed to survive childbirth, and her breast illness.
