Regis Philbin returned to the Live with Regis and Kelly show Thursday morning to chants of "Regis, Regis." Six weeks ago he left to have triple heart bypass surgery.
Concerning the process Philbin said, ""What an occasion this has been. I lost eight pounds, but I aged 12 [years]. I wasn't prepared for it. I didn't know what a bypass really was until I went through it. It was a tough procedure, but the rewards are great."
Kelly Ripa in an emotional moment added, "I personally missed you. I felt like for six weeks my light was dimmed."
After the audience did the "aw" thing, Regis responded saying, "That's a line she used in All My Children in 1988."
There were other light moments as he was able to get David Letterman to return the favor of showing up on his show when he had heart surgery also.
At the beginning of their talk, Letterman told Philbin, "Regis, don't be a hero, if you need to lie down, we can finish up here."
Philbin added his own line concerning Letterman, saying, "Take a good look at him when he comes out, because chances are you will never see him anywhere again for the rest of your life," in reference to the late hours his show is on.
Regis is 75-years-old now.
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