Barbara Walters returns to 'The View'

Barbara Walters said on Tuesday that she will return to the daytime TV talk show 'The View' next week after more than a month-long absence due to illness.

The broadcast journalist, who has been recovering from chicken pox and a concussion, made the announcement in a call-in to a taping of the show.

"Like it or not, I'm coming back on the show again," Walters, 83, said about her plans to return on Monday.

Walters was hospitalized last month after fainting and hitting her head while at the British ambassador's residence in Washington during President Barack Obama's inauguration weekend.

She was also diagnosed with chicken pox and told to rest.

"No more chicken pox ... I haven't been contagious for a while, but (doctors) wanted me to have rest, and I've had enough rest and I'm ready to come back," she said.

Walters, who created the women-focused talk show after working for decades as one of television's best-known journalists, had been recuperating in New York.

Chicken pox, which is usually associated with children, can be serious for adults and the elderly.