Barbara Walters Recovering After Open Heart Surgery

Barbara Walters is recovering after undergoing open heart surgery earlier this week, her rep tells TVGuide.com.

The procedure to fix a faulty heart valve "went well, and the doctors are very pleased with the outcome," Walters' spokeswoman, Cindi Berger, said in a statement.

Barbara Walters to undergo heart surgery

The 80-year-old TV journalist announced her plans for the operation on The Viewon Monday. "You know how I always say to you how healthy I am. ... Never missed a day's work," Walters said. "Later this week, I'm going to have surgery to replace one faulty heart valve. Now lots of people have done this and I have known about this condition for a while now."

Walters and her doctors scheduled the procedure for this week so that she could rest during The View's summer hiatus. She plans to return to the daytime chatfest in the fall. In the meantime, she said she expects "to be calling in from time to time."

A co-creator and host on The View since its' inception in 1997, Walters also co-anchored 20/20 for 25 years and hosted her final Oscars special for ABC in March.