After almost a month off the air following a mysterious surgery in October, Elisabeth Hasselbeck returned to Fox & Friends on Friday and, in an emotional few minutes at the top of the show, revealed the cancer scare that prompted her absence.
The former View co-host had a tumor on her abdomen, she explained, that doctors told her had to be removed and they were concerned it could be cancerous. Ultimately, Hasselbeck revealed, doctors found that she didn’t have cancer, but she had a scary week of not knowing.
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She then explained how thankful she was for the support she received while she was away and dealing with the medical scare.
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“I could not be more thankful for my family and my friends who’ve stuck by me with incredible support. … And really starting from the top down here, [Fox News CEO] Mr. [Roger] Ailes and this entire Fox family treated me like family the entire way,” she said. “I’m certainly not a person who takes a lot for granted, but I certainly don’t take it for granted now.”
Hasselbeck seemed to get a bit choked up as she recounted her ordeal and gripped co-host Steve Doocy‘s hand as she made her remarks. Doocy and Eric Bolling, filling in for co-host Brian Kilmeade, then brought out a cake, from someone in the news: Cake Boss star Buddy Valastro.
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She also thanked Ailes for “giving me the time that I needed to recover and be fine” and people for respecting her privacy as she dealt with her medical scare.
Later, the show aired a videotaped message from her kids, which caused Hasselbeck to tear up.
Hasselbeck was missing from Fox & Friends on Oct. 15, with Doocy saying she would be out for “a couple of weeks” after having “some surgery” the day before. At the time, Fox News reps said that details of her surgery were remaining private.
Hasselbeck joined Fox News from The View in 2013.
Watch Hasselbeck explain her absence on Friday’s Fox & Friends below.
