Diane Sawyer has said goodbye after a five-year run as anchor of ABC’s “World News With Diane Sawyer.”
“[What a] privilege it has been to sit in the anchor chair at ‘World News’ these years, the flagship broadcast of ABC, where Peter Jennings created a signature of such curiosity and courage,” an emotional Sawyer told viewers Wednesday at the end of her final broadcast.
“It has been wonderful to be the home port for the brave and brilliant forces of ABC News around the world and to feel every single night you and I were in a conversation about the day together,” she said.
See video: Diane Sawyer on Why She’s Leaving ABC’s ‘World News Tonight’
Before taking over the anchor desk of the newscast in 2009, the 68-year-old journalist and TV personality was at ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Now, she is going out on top. Last week the show led in the 25-54 demo most important to news shows. NBC’s “Nightly News” won in total viewers and the 18-49 demo. CBS’s “Evening News” was third in all three metrics.
While she has signed off of the evening newscast, Sawyer will remain at ABC News. “I’m not going far, down the hall up the stairs, I’m not slowing down but gearing up in a new way, already at work on some of the stories that take you into the real lives around us, the ones we rarely get to see,” she added.
The broadcaster, who is married to Oscar-winning director Mike Nichols, also said she is looking forward to spending more time with her family. “To Mike and the four grandchildren and their perfect parents, I look forward to being home early for some dinners again.”
As TheWrap previously reported, “World News” weekend anchor David Muir will take over for Sawyer beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 2. “He is my friend,” Sawyer said in her farewell broadcast, “and you are in strong and steady hands.”
Also read: Ratings: Diane Sawyer Ties for Demo Win in Last Full Week at ‘World News’
“One last time, it was good to know you were watching tonight,” she added. “And with gratitude for these years, I thank you. And I’ll see you right back here on ABC News very soon. Goodnight.”
Watch Sawyer say goodbye in the video above.