Dr. Jennifer Ashton is retiring from ABC News after 13 years.
During the first hour of “Good Morning America,” Ashton’s colleagues bid a heartfelt goodbye to the network’s chief medical correspondent and co-host of “GMA3: What You Need To Know” Thursday morning.
“We have covered some of the most important moments in our country’s health history and it has been an incredible honor and privilege to lead the nation’s No. 1 medical network,” Ashton said.
She also received a special message from Hollywood actor and fitness fanatic Chris Hemsworth, as well as his family.
Dr. Jennifer Ashton, co-host of “GMA3”leaves ABC News after 13 years to launch wellness business
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“My mother was a nurse, my father was a cardiologist and responsible for my passion for heart health. My brother is a reconstructive plastic surgeon,” she said before joking, “my children are my children.”
In 2017, Ashton’s ex-husband and father of her children, Dr. Robert “Rob” C. Ashton, committed suicide 18 days after their divorce was finalized. She chronicled the family’s struggle with grief on “GMA” and in a 2019 book “Life After Suicide: Finding Courage, Comfort and Community After Unthinkable Loss.”
“We know that many families struggle with depression every day while others, like us, receive no warning. We hope that by sharing part of Rob’s story it will spare others the heartbreak we are feeling. You’re never alone,” Chloe and Alex Ashton’s mother said in an Instagram post after his death.
Dr. Jen Ashton Leaves ‘Good Morning America’ and ABC News to Focus on Women’s Wellness Business
She is leaving her position to focus on a new women’s wellness company, aptly named Ajenda. Ashton, known simply as “Dr. Jen,” is a fan favorite on “Good Morning America” and covers the entire network on all platforms as ABC News’ chief health and medical correspondent.
The “GMA3” co-host announced her departure from the network in April.
“It has been an honor to work for ABC and help cover the country’s and the world’s biggest health issues for the past 13 years,” Ashton said in a lengthy statement posted on Instagram. “My colleagues have become more than friends; they have become family and have been with me through some of the greatest professional moments of my life. I feel fortunate to have worked with the best in the business.”
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She first rose to fame as a regular expert on “The Dr. Oz Show” and as co-host of the syndicated talk show “The Doctors” for three years, a spinoff of “Dr. Phil ” featuring Dr. Phil McGraw’s son, Jay McGraw. .
Prior to joining ABC News, she was a senior medical correspondent for CBS News and appeared on “The Early Show” and “CBS Evening News.” Ashton continued to host “GMA3,” which she co-hosted with Eva Pilgrim and DeMarco Morgan in recent months after TJ Holmes and Amy Robach were dismissed from ABC following an alleged affair.
