Lisa Niemi: Patrick Swayze's widow says his 'rabid' fans called her 'evil' for marrying Albert DePrisco

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Patrick Swayze’s widow, Lisa Niemi Swayze, has opened up on finding love again after the actor died from pancreatic cancer in 2009. She was married to the 'Dirty Dancing' star from 1975 until his death.

On the April 8 episode of the 'Amy and TJ Podcast', she discussed meeting and marrying her current husband, Albert DePrisco, in 2014, and the criticism she faced from Patrick’s fans.

'Rabid' Patrick fans criticize Lisa for moving on

Lisa revealed that she received a lot of backlash from Patrick’s fans who felt she was moving on too quickly.

“Yes, I got a lot of flak — it’s like, ‘How dare you.’ There are some pretty rabid Patrick fans out there who think I’m evil," Lisa said.

"Just don’t like me because I was married to him,” Lisa, 67, said on the podcast.

She faced a lot of criticism but learned to deal with it and move on. "So there was a lot of flack that came on that, a lot of criticism, and you just learn to deal with it and move on," she said. 

Lisa Niemi’s journey to love after loss

Lisa and Patrick first met when they were teenagers in Houston, Texas. They moved to New York City after high school where Lisa made a name for herself as an actress alongside Patrick’s successful Hollywood career.

They even co-starred in the 2003 movie 'One Last Dance' which Lisa directed from a play she and Patrick co-wrote titled 'Without a Word'.

'Finding love again': Lisa Niemi's relationship with Albert DePrisco

Lisa met DePrisco “about three years” after Patrick’s death; DePrisco himself had gone through a divorce.

“If we had met before then, it wouldn’t have happened, but after three years we were about ready,” she said.

They were introduced by longtime friends whom they had both known for 30 years.

While praising her current marriage, Lisa discounted the notion that she had forgotten about Patrick to whom she had been married for 34 years.

“Patrick is still with me. I still have a relationship with him; he’s physically not here, [but] every day he’s with me and I feel him there,” she said, according to a PageSix report. 

“What was really unusual was … I really fell in love with Albert, and it didn’t affect — it was interesting to see how it didn’t affect my love for Patrick one bit," she added.

Lisa concluded, “Just because you lose a loved one doesn’t mean you stop loving, and you don’t have that love to give. And I think Albert and I were fortunate to find someone to give that love to."