Vanna White Recalls Her Initial Reaction to Pat Sajak’s Retirement

Vanna White, Pat Sajak

Vanna White is gearing up for a big change in Wheel of Fortune next year, but before she prepares to usher in the new season and new co-host, she opened up about her knee-jerk reaction to learning of Pat Sajak's retirement.

While appearing on the Friday, Nov. 17 episode of Good Morning America, the 66-year-old media personality revealed that Sajak was the one to break the news of his pending departure.

"When Pat told me he was going to retire, it was like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm not sure that I'm ready to retire,'" White recalled, suggesting his career moves inspired her to plan for her future on the show.

"I thought about it and thought about it, and I just wasn't ready to retire," she told the outlet, explaining why she renewed her contract with the network. "Because I'm not that tired and I love what I do... I genuinely do care about our contestants, and my favorite show is when they all win something big."

While reflecting on her last season co-hosting the series with Sajak, 77, she got rather sentimental.

"It’s hard to believe it’s been 41 years," White admitted. "I think of Pat as family and always will."

"How do you describe being with someone for 41 years that you love and adore?" she added. "I know everything about him, when he walks in, when he walks up the stairs, if he's in a good mood or a bad mood."

Elsewhere in the conversation she joked, "We call ourselves Ken and Barbie. I mean, we’re not quite that today. But Ken and Barbie go together and always have. Peanut butter and jelly go together. Pat and Vanna go together."

In June, Sajak announced that Season 41 of the long-running game show would be his last on the air, and after weeks of speculation, the network finally announced that Ryan Seacrest would take over as Wheel's host come the start of Season 42.

Next: 'Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White Shares Piece of Advice for Co-Host Ryan Seacrest