She is 83!!!

Barbara Walters will finally retire this year.  

Can you believe she is 83!?  She has been working for over 50 years on TV.  Like her or hate her, she has been on TV probably longer than you have been alive!  

Barbeara Walters, here anchoring coverage of the Royal Wedding in 2011.

• Photos: Barbara Walters: Life in pictures
• Photos: Barbara Walters' celebrity interviews

Barbara Walters is saying goodbye to TV journalism. After more than half a century in the industry, the veteran ABC News anchor plans to retire next summer,  an ABC spokesperson confirmed to The Times on Sunday night.  Walters, 83, is set to make it official Monday morning on “The View.”
And the network plans to make good use of her while it can.  The legendary TV personality will continue to anchor and report for ABC as well as continue to appear on “The View” and anchor specials throughout the year.

“I am very happy with my decision and look forward to a wonderful and special year ahead both on ‘The View’ and with ABC News,” she said in a statement issued by the network Sunday night. “I created ‘The View’ and am delighted it will last beyond my leaving it.”  Walters will retain her executive producer role on the long-running weekday gabfest.

Walters has been a pioneer for women in the television industry. After working her way up from a researcher for NBC’s “Today” show to become co-host of the morning program, she left her 15-year stint at NBC and moved over to ABC, where she would become the first woman to host an evening newscast, teaming with Harry Reasoner on the "ABC Evening News" in 1976. It was the start of a 37-year relationship with the network, which would include co-hosting the evening newsmagazine “20/20” and hosting numerous celebrity-interview specials in prime time.