Regis' Recovery Revving Up
Five days in the hospital, five weeks in recovery—that's the prescription doctors gave Regis Philbin's troubled ticker and, according to Kelly Ripa, the prognosis is so far, so good.
The über-perky cohost announced on Wednesday morning's Live! that her 75-year-old chat partner has been released from the New York hospital where he underwent triple heart bypass surgery last week.
Ripa said that after five days recovering under the watchful eye of the hospital staff, Philbin was released on Monday. She was unable to share the good news with the audience at that time, however, as she had been "sworn to secrecy."
Should the morning mainstay feel up to it, Ripa said that he may even call into the show on Friday to give a more detailed account of his recovery.
Philbin underwent triple-bypass surgery at New York's Weill Cornell Medical Center last Wednesday and emerged "with flying colors." The veteran performer's operating doctor, Dr. O Wayne Isom, the same surgeon who performed quintuple-bypass surgery on pal David Letterman in 2000, even went so far as to claim Philbin had the heart "of a 19-year-old."
Last Thursday, the audience got its first post-procedure update on Reeg, with Ripa saying that all signs were positive for a speedy recovery, with the self-referential host already "up, joking around with nurses" and "harassing" people just a day after his operation.
The famous patient first announced just a week and a half ago that he would be going under the knife, saying he "had been feeling chest pains, you know, and, uh, shortness of breath and all those little symptoms that you hear about."
According to Philbin, the doctors' consensus was that "there's some plaque in some arteries and I've got to get it out."
Last week, it was predicted that Philbin would be out of chatty commission for about five weeks—which, in a nice turn of luck, pits his return to the show right at the start of May sweeps.
In the meantime, plenty of familiar faces have jumped at the chance to fill in on the morning show. Anderson Cooper and Damien Fahey already logged time in the morning chair and Howie Mandel, Donald Trump, Neil Patrick Harris, Jeff Probst and Pat Sajak are waiting for their turn to take the reins.
The Big Picture
Gossip Curl Looks like Leighton's sailing the Good Ship Lollipop as she shows off a Shirley Temple 'do
More PhotosMost Commented
- Bitch-Back! Breaking News—Johnny's a Hottie (918)
- Rob and Kristen "Relaxed" Together in NYC (674)
- Rob Flies Back to L.A. With Kristen (601)
- Truth, Lies & Ted: Twilight Special (478)
- Adam Lambert: For Your Entertainment—or His? (449)
- Is New Moon Even Good? (429)
- Bitch-Back! Was Sweet Taylor Ever a Li'l A-Hole? (380)
- Review: New Moon Is Either Just Fine or Way Mopey, Depending On Who You Are (375)
- Bitch-Back! Is There Drama on the Gossip Girl Set? (345)
- Ridiculous Twilight Hookups in an "All Taken" Cast (348)
Top 10 Stories
- The Real Reason Oprah Quit Oprah: Sarah Palin!
- Beyoncé Is Yours on Thanksgiving
- Justin Bieber: Blame Twitter for His Broken Foot
- Adam Lambert on Early Show: I'm Not a Babysitter
- Dancing Finale: Did Donny Really Beat Marie?
- Uh-Oh, John Mayer's Ego May Explode
- Carrie Ann Inaba Trades Judges' Chair for Hospital Bed
- Dancing With the Stars: A New Winner Raises the Disco Ball
- J.Lo's Ex: There's "Maybe One Spanking," but I'm Not Selling a Sex Tape
- Nicole Richie Back in Her Own Bed
Fashion Police
First Lady of FashionMichelle is glamorous and elegant in a strapless gown at the White House's first state dinner
More Photos
Latest Movie Reviews
Get Your E! News Now
1 Comments
-
Show the next 1 - 0 of 1 comments
Now loading...