Barbara Walters said she will have surgery to replace a faulty heart valve later this week and take the summer off from “The View” to recuperate.
The television legend made the announcement on the air Monday. She said she’s known about her condition for a while, and decided with her doctors that this is the best time to have the heart surgery done.
“Since the summer is coming up,” she said, “I can take a nice vacation.”
Walters, 80, is one of the best-known personalities in television news. She began on the “Today” show, was the first woman to anchor a network evening news program, then was one of the toughest competitors in the fierce game of landing sought-after interviews.
At a time others would be slowing down, she invented “The View” in 1997 and the daily talk show with a woman’s round-table is a staple on daytime TV. She said earlier this year she was giving up her annual interview special with actors that traditionally preceded the Academy Awards.
She said her condition would be a surprise to many friends. “But I thought it best not to talk about it too far in advance,” she said.
Walters said she had not felt any symptoms from the narrowing of the heart valve, which can worsen and restrict the flow of blood to the heart. There are four heart valves, and they can be surgically replaced by a mechanical valve, an animal valve or human organ from a donor.
Alexis Neiers, a reality starlet accused of burglarizing Orlando Bloom’s house pleaded no contest Monday to felony burglary and was sentenced to up to six months in county jail after reaching a deal with prosecutors.
The 18-year-old aspiring model who has been the subject of the E! Entertainment Television reality show “Pretty Wild” entered the plea shortly before her trial was slated to begin. Bloom, star of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Lord of the Rings” film franchises, had been expected to testify.
As part of the deal, Neiers was sentenced to three years of formal probation and six months in county jail for the July break-in. She also agreed to stay away from Bloom and his Hollywood Hills home.
Three other people charged in the burglary at Bloom’s home have not yet gone to trial. Neiers told police she was drunk when she went to the house and didn’t take anything there.
Associated Press
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