NEW YORK — Barbara Walters dropped a bombshell on The View this morning, revealing she will undergo surgery to replace a heart valve later this week.

Walters, 80, said the operation has been planned for some time. She plans to leave the daytime show for a few months and "come roaring back in September."

"My doctors and I have decided that this is the best time to do the surgery," the broadcasting legend said.

When asked by fellow View co-host Whoopi Goldberg if she was scared, Walters said: "Look, nobody wants to have this kind of surgery."

Walters, who became the first female network news co-anchor more than 30 years ago, created ABC's The View in 1997 with Bill Geddie.