Rosie O'Donnell has explained her recent decision to exit her role as co-host on The View.
O'Donnell revealed that she has chosen to leave in order to protect her health.
She told reporters at the Athena Film Festival awards ceremony this weekend that doctors are concerned about stress from working on the show causing a strain on her heart.
O'Donnell added that the stress has been worsened by marital problems with wife Michelle Rounds and the pressure of raising four children.
"[My health] got a little bit worse right before the holidays - [my doctor] was kind of concerned," she said (via The Hollywood Reporter). "I can't really fix [my personal life] right away, but I can fix [my job].
"So I spoke to them at ABC, and I told them, and they understood. They've been unbelievably supportive and loving."
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O'Donnell also said that she has spoken to fellow View hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace, and that all three support her decision.
"Everyone cares about each other. Nobody wants to do anything that's going to affect someone's health, so they get it," she explained.
"It's okay. Not everything works out as you planned, but you never know what's going to happen tomorrow."
O'Donnell will make her final appearance on The View next week.
In addition, O'Donnell is due to appear in upcoming HBO documentary Rosie O'Donnell: A Heartfelt Stand Up, in which she discusses her heart problems.
Reporter & Sub-Editor, Digital Spy Susannah is a freelance writer and sub-editor, specialising in the entertainment industry. She graduated in 2014, with a BA in English and American Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Producing. She’s been writing for Digital Spy ever since, after first getting involved through work experience, and has written hundreds of stories for the site on a range of topics, from The Sims to Doctor Who. Susannah has also written for Reveal Magazine. Her special interests are soaps (her Mastermind subject would be 2000s Coronation Street), Marvel and Star Wars. She can also quote far too many lines from Friends and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
