CNN Shocker: Christiane Amanpour to Exit News Channel Next Year

CNN is losing one of its highest-profile anchors and correspondents next year.

Christiane Amanpour will scale back her work at CNN over the next few months, and leave the channel entirely next June. CNN CEO Mark Thompson shared the news in a note to staff Monday morning.

“Christiane has thought carefully about this decision, and she and I have been discussing it for some months,” he wrote. “Like so many CNNers who will hear the news today, I’m very sorry to see her go, but I’ve come to accept that this is the right time for her, both personally and professionally.”

Amanpour has been with CNN for 43 years, becoming perhaps its most famous foreign correspondent, and a staple of its lineup.

“After many months of thought and a few sleepless nights, I have decided to separate from CNN, my partner of 43 fantastic years!” she said in a statement. “I will end my daily shows across CNN and PBS at the end of this year, while continuing to maintain a weekly show on CNN through May and working on a smooth transition through June.

“I want to thank all the amazingly talented people I’ve worked with throughout this incredible journey. Especially my beloved show teams and field crews,” she continued. “From my very first big exciting assignment covering the First Gulf War, to the horrors of the Bosnian War, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Ukrain and Iran and all the points in between, it’s the teams and the camaraderie that counted so much, as we together battled to seek the facts, the evidence and the humanity, so that CNN could always broadcast the truth about the world and to the world, without fear nor favor.”