Lee Woodruff Joins 'CBS This Morning'

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Lee Woodruff, author and wife of ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff, has been named a contributor to CBS This Morning. The announcement comes on the same day the revamped morning show bowed with new hosts Charlie Rose and Gayle King joining Erica Hill.

Since her husband’s injury while on assignment in Iraq in 2006, Lee Woodruff, who began her career in public relations, has become an advocate for military families. (She also did a stint as an on-air contributor at ABC News.) The Woodruff’s book In An Instant, about Bob Woodruff’s recovery from a traumatic brain injury caused by a roadside bomb while on patrol with Iraqi troops, became a best seller. In 2009, Lee Woodruff penned a follow-up, Perfectly Imperfect: A Life in Progress. And her first novel is due out in September.

The Woodruffs also founded the Bob Woodruff Foundation (ReMIND.org), which provides long-term care assistance and re-integration services to wounded servicemen. So far, the foundation has given away $10 million to assisting organizations.

At CBS News, Lee Woodruff will comment on veterans issues, a topic the news division has dedicated significant resources to with ongoing reports on 60 Minutes and an Emmy winning investigation into veteran suicide rates.

Lee Woodruff’s “contribution on veterans’ issues will be particularly valuable in light of the important work she has done with her husband Bob Woodruff on behalf of wounded veterans,” said CBS News chairman and 60 Minutes executive producer Jeff Fager in a statement.  

Added CBS This Morning executive producer Chris Licht: “She offers a unique blend of candor, intelligence and experience that is both stimulating and refreshing.”