After two years with the network, Zoraida Sambolín is leaving CNN. Her last day as host of “Early Start” is Friday, December 13. She’ll be moving back to Chicago with her family.
Zoraida, a mother of two, was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year and underwent a double mastectomy. She’s currently cancer free.
“Walking away from morning television will be very difficult for me, it’s what I love and do best,” Zoraida says. “My work this past year raising awareness about breast cancer was incredibly fulfilling and that will hold some prominence in my future plans as well. For now I am going to huddle with my family and figure out which opportunities work best for us.”
Her cancer scare has made her focus on what’s important. On her Facebook page, she told fans: “This past year has been full of challenges, blessings and a tremendous amount of reflection. I have come to realize that in order for me to be happy, my family has to be my first priority.”
Before joining CNN in 2011, Zoraida spent 9 years at Chicago’s WMAQ, where she was a weekday morning anchor of NBC5 News Today in Chicago and special assignment reporter and fill-in news anchor for Telemundo.
