Wheel Of Fortune's Vanna White admits it's 'depressing' to think about leaving the show after 40 years alongside host Pat Sajak
After 40 years on the Wheel of Fortune, Vanna White is not ready to say goodbye to the show that made her a household name.
'We've been in everybody's homes for 40 years, so it would be weird having somebody else turn my letters,' White told PEOPLE on Monday.
The TV personality, who has appeared on the long-running game show since it premiered in 1975, has co-hosted with Pat Sajak since 1981.
Long-running: Wheel of Fortune hosts Vanna White and Pat Sajak have discussed how their 4 decade run at the helm of the iconic game show may soon be coming to an end
Vanna said, 'I think when Merv Griffin chose both of us, 40 and 41 years ago, he saw something between us - a brother-sister type relationship.'
She added, 'And I think that is kind of what it is. He saw that we would be able to get along, and we do. We are like a brother and sister team.'
In September, the Wheel of Fortune host, Sajak told ET Online that his 41-year career at the helm of the iconic game show may soon be coming to an end.
'It appears I may go before the show,' said, Sajak who has spun the wheel for over four decades, revealed.
Together till the end: The two co-hosts have discussed their eventual departure from the show, with Sajak saying, 'We'll probably walk off in the sunset at the same time.' The duo pictured at Wheel of Fortune's 35th Anniversary on Oct 10, 2017 in Orlando, Florida
'It's an honor to have been in people's living rooms for that long. People were out there welcoming us. We're happy and proud.'
The TV icon, who turned 76 recently said, 'In most television shows by this time, you would have said, "That's probably enough," but this show will not die.'
His daughter Maggie, 27, celebrated Sajak's four decades hosting the show last December with a loving throwback snap of the happy host looking dashing with a full head of brunette tresses.
Throwback: The beloved television personality began hosting the show back in 1981 when it first aired on network daytime television; Pictured with co-host Vanna White, 64, in 1983
Iconic: The TV star, who hosts the show alongside beloved bombshell Vanna White, will turn 76 next month
Time for change: The TV icon, who hosts the show alongside beloved bombshell Vanna White revealed 'The end is near'
This comes after Pat echoed similar retirement sentiments in September of last year when he candidly shared with Entertainment Tonight that, 'We're certainly closer to the end than the beginning. I'd like to leave before people tune in and look at me and say, "Ooh, what happened to him?"'
Sajak's 40-year attendance record with Wheel of Fortune is near spotless, with the dedicated host having only missed taping for three weeks in November 2019, to undergo emergency intestinal surgery.
While Sajak was recovering, White, 65, stepped in to take over hosting duties.
'We've been together for like 38 years and he's like my brother,' White told ET in 2021.
'He's funny. I mean, we could finish each other's sentences if we wanted to. We know each other that well.'
The wheel: An estimated 26M viewers tune into Wheel of Fortune every week
Survivor: The host went down memory lane in the nostalgic tweet noting other long-ended shows that started at the same time as Wheel Of Fortune
Last January Sajak told Access Hollywood, 'We'll probably walk off in the sunset at the same time.'
And while speaking to Entertainment Tonight in September, Sajak revealed that he would like to exit the stage in the next 10 years.
'We're certainly closer to the end than the beginning. I'd like to leave before people tune in and look at me and say, "Ooh, what happened to him?" I wouldn't bet on seeing us in, like, 10 years, I would say.'
Four decades of fortune: The show has awarded around $250M in cash and prizes since its inception
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