Sometimes life leads us down paths we never knew we’d take. Frank Fritz was a beloved staple on television but in his personal life, he was suffering quite a lot.
This is his heartbreaking story…
Diann Bankson was Frank Fritz’s longtime lover. His messy breakup with her led to his alcohol dependence, joblessness, and even a health scare. The two have parted ways for good now but their time together left indelible marks on both of them.
“American Pickers” host Frank Fritz was 25 years old when he met Diann Bankson. The couple dated on and off, and in 2017 got engaged. A year later in 2018, they bought an Iowa farmhouse and moved in together.
But in November of the same year their relationship took a turn for the worse when Bankson made claims that she had “walked in” on Fritz “and caught him in bed with another woman.”
In an interview, Fritz revealed that Bankson had cheated on him and even had gotten a tattoo that reminded him of her ‘betrayal.’ But he said he still wanted to marry her.
“I was going to get married, I bought a house and a big expensive ring, and then I found out my fiancée had been dating somebody else for two and half years,” Fritz said.
“She’s the cheater, that’s why I got a tattoo saying ‘Once a cheater, always a cheater,” Fritz explained, he said the reason he got the tattoo was to serve as a reminder to not make “the same mistake again.” He further added that Bankson had “cost” him a lot of money.
To nurse his broken heart, he began to drink. He said that was how he dealt with his heartbreak. This also caused him to lose a lot of weight. Fritz said “I gave it a good shot. I tried to drink her away.”
While he overcame his drinking problem, he decided to not date anyone for a while since the last relationship with Bankson had “stung hard enough.”
After the breakup, he also suffered losses professional. According to the Sun, he did not appear as the host of History Channel’s “American Pickers” after March 2020.
Fritz explained his absence was because of his health and after his back surgery had healed, he planned on making a comeback on the show. Fritz said, “I would like to come back to the show. I’m 100 percent recovered now, and I’m ready to roll and go back on the show.”
Fritz said the show had not made any clear decisions on whether they would have him back. But he did say a showrunner had called him and promised to get him back onscreen.
But according to TMZ the show has “no plans” of casting Fritz as a host again despite him having worked on the show for a decade.
Apart from not getting back on his show, his ex-lover Bankson also debuted her new man, Eric Longlett, an Engineering Administration Manager. She posted about him on her social media, gushing about how lucky she was to be with him.
When Longlett took her to see Elton John perform, she wrote in a caption, “He took me to see Elton John’s Yellow Brick Road Farewell Tour. I’m a lucky girl. Love you, Babe oxo.”
On July 4, 2022, Fritz was admitted to a hospital for a stroke. His friend had discovered him on the floor of his home and called for help. The US Sun was able to obtain the 911 call where his friend said, “he might be seizuring, I’m not sure.”
Fritz’s father Bill Fritz told the media that his son was doing better everyday and recovering well.
However, his recovery was not as solid as doctors would have liked. Upon his release from the hospital, he was sent to a nursing facility and placed under guardianship.
According to reports, his “longtime friend” filed an emergency appointment for temporary guardian and conservatorship for him on August 18, 2022 which was then approved.
His friend was appointed as his guardian and the bank was assigned as his conservator to oversee his finances.
As his conservator, the bank would oversee payments to his care facility, including daily expenses, health insurance, repairs, and on paying the tax on his property. The bank would have to ensure that he had access to appropriate transportation for activities and medical appointments.
As his guardian, his friend has been “in decision-making since the stroke” and as part of his requirement for being his guardian had to file an “initial care plan” for him.
As he recovers and is able to “receive treatment for his injuries, decisions must be made” on his behalf by his guardian.
The court agreed a guardian for Fritz is necessary so he does not damage his health further. “Appointment of a guardian and conservator is necessary to avoid immediate harm to him,” the court ruled.
This is such a heartbreaking story. We wish the very best of health and healing for Frank Fritz.
Share this with your friends and family so they can know what happened to their favorite television show host and can also say a prayer for his health.