Barbara Walters will be having heart surgery later this week to replace a faulty valve, and will be taking the summer off from “The View” in order to recuperate.

Walters made the announcement on “The View” earlier this morning. She said she has known about the condition for a while and has decided, along with her doctors, that now is the best time to have it fixed.

Whoopi Goldberg, one of her co-hosts on “The View,” asked her if she was scared. Walter’s responded, “Look, nobody wants to have this kind of surgery,” Walters said, but added that it has become more commonplace and done safely.