Barbara Walters Officially Announces Retirement on THE VIEW

On this morning's live broadcast of ABC's morning chat fest THE VIEW, host Barbara Walters officially announced that she will step down in summer 2014.

This morning's show began with a montage of career highlights including Walters' interviews on ABC with such headline-makers as Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and Monica Lewinsky. Wiping away tears the journalists conceded, "I wasn't beautiful. I have trouble pronouncing my 'Rs' ... I still do."

Surrounded by her View co-hosts Sherri Shepherd, Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Walters shared, "I have been on television for over ... 50 years!" She called her years on network television "joyful," "challenging" and "occasionally bumpy."

The former news anchorwoman said she would continue to executive produce The View along with Bill Geddie but would not appear on "any show," adding, "I will come back -- I'm not going into the sunset."

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