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. 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. Former First Lady Barbara Bush and comic Robin Williams had heart valve replacement surgery last year.
