"CBS This Morning" co-host Charlie Rose will return to television on Monday after undergoing heart surgery last month, co-hosts Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell announced on Friday morning.
Rose, 75, had an operation to replace an artificial aorta valve that was originally installed 15 years ago. Anthony Mason has filled in for Rose for the past few weeks.
"I can't wait to see my friends at CTM who have been so gracious in sitting in for me and making up for the fact that I was not there especially Gayle and Norah, and a special thanks to Anthony Mason who not only has done such a remarkable job filling in for me but also on my PBS show," Rose said in a statement.
The statement continued: "And for you – all of you – when I said that I was going in for the surgery I said to each of you, 'stay close' – and boy have you stayed close. The messages, the heartwarming well wishing, the sense of recover soon has all been memorable to me."
Earlier this year, "CTM" executive producer Ryan Kadro told TheWrap that stability among the anchors is a big reason for the show's success because rivals "Today" and "GMA" have seen dramatic turnover in recent years.
"I think for a long time the trend was to go bigger, and louder, and flashier," Kadro said. "I think audiences kind of tired of that… here we came along at the right time with a team that just has the kind of chemistry that you find amounts a really good group of friends."
"CBS This Morning" regularly finishes behind NBC's "Today" and ABC's "Good Morning America" among viewers, but has grown at a rapid pace compared to its legacy-brand rivals.
