Rosie O’Donnell Dishes On Divorce, Weight Loss Wars, And ‘The View’ Brouhaha: Five Potential Replacements

Rosie O’Donnell may have made New Year’s resolutions, but they probably didn’t involve dramatic life changes, including a divorce from second wife Michelle Rounds and a job loss. However, that’s precisely what has happened to the former co-host of The View, reported the New York Post.

O’Donnell filed the official divorce papers only two weeks after her dramatic exit from the talk show. The two had been married for three years, and even adopted a daughter named Dakota.

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Rosie’s representative, Cindi Berger, offered a statement revealing that Rounds and O’Donnell actually had separated in November.

“I can confirm that Rosie and her wife, Michelle, split in November,” shared Cindi. “This has been a very stressful situation. She is putting her personal health and family first.”

As for her reason for exiting The View, Rosie cited her concern about the stress on the show because of her heart attack history, reported ABC News.

“The truth is, I had a heart attack two years ago and stress is very bad for a heart attack survivor,” O’Donnell said candidly. “I’m minimizing my stress by leaving ‘The View.’ The stress I’m having at home is not easily as remediable…. It’s hard, marriages are complicated and I’ve got five kids… There’s lots of stuff going on at home.”

Part of the stress has come from battling her weight, as the Inquisitr reported. Although Rosie has shed 50 pounds since having weight-loss surgery, she still must diet, and it’s a constant battle, admitted O’Donnell.

Rosie even tried a vegan diet such as Bill Clinton went on after his own heart attack. But she confessed it was just too strict for her to follow.

“I went to the Internet and I looked up where Bill Clinton did that weird diet and I went on that diet. Basically, impossible, in my opinion, but I did that diet for a couple months. I went vegan for a couple months. I just couldn’t do it,” revealed Rosie.

So as Rosie tries to reduce her stress by leaving The View and her wife, who’s on the list of possible replacements for the talk show made famous by Barbara Walters? The current list includes five contenders, according to the Wrap.

But don’t expect to see a new co-host suddenly pop up soon.

“They’ll take their time to find the right fit,” commented a source. “There’s a ton of interest. Expect to see people brought in multiple times and for extended runs.”

Among the five potential replacements are Naya Rivera, Stacy London, Sam Ponder, Padma Lakshmi, and even Williams – and no, it’s not Brian Williams, the embattled news anchor. That’s Michelle Williams who might win the job, and in contrast to Allison Williams, she’s not related to Brian but is an entertainment figure.

Stacy is a fashion consultant while Naya is known for her role on Glee. Rivera previously served as guest co-host, where she started her own controversy with remarks about showering and ethnicity, shown below.

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Sam is a sportscaster. And you may recognize Top Chef star Padma from her famous phrase, “Please pack your knives and go.”

What do you think — who would you like to see replace Rosie? Are there any of the current View hosts whom you would like to see pack their verbal knives and go? Post your comments below.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]