Hoda Kotb Recalls Meeting Her Police Officer Ex-Boyfriend in Laundromat: ‘It Was Hot’

On Thursday's 'Today with Hoda & Jenna,' the hosts discussed Joe Manganiello's reported new romance, which led the daytime broadcaster to reflect on a "knight in shining armor" from her past

Hoda Kotb is reflecting on a past romance.

On Thursday's episode of Today with Hoda & Jenna, the daytime broadcaster, 59, opened up to her co-host Jenna Bush Hager, 41, about the "hot" way she met her police officer ex-boyfriend at a laundromat.

The conversation began with the two hosts discussing former couple Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello, who announced their split two months ago.

The Magic Mike actor, 46, is now "casually seeing" Winning Time actress Caitlin O'Connor. A source told PEOPLE Tuesday that he and the 33-year-old actress met "in the hot tub" at an after party for the HBO series.

"I will say, sometimes that date after that heartbreak does make you realize," Hager acknowledged to her co-host. "Like, you don’t have to be in a serious relationship, but that first person, you’re like, ‘Oh, I still got it.’"

Related: Hoda Kotb Opens Up About Why She 'Couldn't Pay My Bills' for 'Many, Many Years' at Start of Career

Kotb agreed, adding that sometimes people meet someone in a "run-down state after a breakup" when they're feeling "fragile."

"And that person is the knight in shining armor," she said. "I think I told you, that happened to me. I had a terrible breakup and I was sitting in the laundromat and I was so upset. I still remember sitting, hugging my knees, waiting for my laundry to be over. And a police officer walked in."

She recalled that the officer asked if she was okay, to which she said she wasn't. Then, she explained, the two began dating.

"It was hot!" she declared.

Related: Hoda Kotb Praises How 'Unabashedly Herself' Jenna Bush Hager Is: 'People Spend Their Whole Lives Trying' (Exclusive)

Hager questioned what the "mistake" her co-host was referring to was, likening the situation to something straight out of a "Colleen Hoover novel."

"We dated for awhile, and then after awhile, I realized he was a rescuer," Kotb recalled. "And after awhile I didn’t need rescuing. ‘I’m good. This is me when I’m good.’ And he was like, ‘I’ll do it, I’ll help you.’"

The daytime broadcaster explained that she ultimately realized she's actually a "strong person" who didn't need any rescuing, and that her ex-boyfriend just happened to meet her when she was in a fragile place.

"You need to go back to that laundromat," Hager joked. "You never know who you’ll meet!"

Related: Sofía Vergara Reveals How She's Been 'Trying to Have Fun' Lately After Joe Manganiello Split

Manganiello filed for divorce from Vergara, 51, in July, citing "irreconcilable differences," two days after they announced their split in a joint statement. The former couple was married for seven years, having wed in November 2015.

Since their separation, the Modern Family actress has been keeping a positive outlook on life and embracing change.

"A lot of changes, a lot of good and craziness and bad things happen and good things happen,” she told Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday of her life. “You know, what makes life so entertaining and interesting."

"I can't complain. I've had a great, great time,” the actress added. “There's always time for more good stuff coming."

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Today with Hoda & Jenna airs weekdays at 10 a.m. ET on NBC.

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