Charlie Rose returns to "CBS This Morning"

“CBS This Morning” co-host Charlie Rose returned to the show Monday after recovering from heart surgery.

“Boy, am I happy to be here,” Rose said, as he opened the morning broadcast.

“Did you feel tingly when you walked in the building?” co-host Gayle King asked.

“I just felt happy!” Rose said, emphatically motioning with his hands. “I mean, this is a great place to start your morning.”

Rose underwent heart surgery in February to replace his aorta valve. Before his procedure, he wrote:

“Almost 15 years ago skilled surgeons replaced my aorta valve with a new replacement valve. It has served me well enabling me to live the vigorous, full, complete life you are all so familiar with. No one loves life more than I do.  

To continue to live this amazing life so full of challenges and friends, including so many of you in the audience, I have chosen to replace the valve with a new one.  The timing is my choice.” 

“The interesting thing is that the surgeons say to me, ‘Everything, everything that we wanted to do came out even better than we expected,’” Rose said.

Among those welcoming Rose back was President Trump, who sent a message: “Charlie, welcome back. We all missed you.”

“You sure he’s talking about me?” Rose joked.

Rose thanked King, O’Donnell and Anthony Mason, who filled in while he was out, as well as the many viewers who sent him well-wishes during his recovery.