After more than five years as one of Today‘s leading anchors, Hoda Kotb announced her impending departure from the news outlet on Thursday. According to Today.com, Kotb will stay on until early next year, but will remain at NBC in other roles.

Kotb explained during Thursday’s show that it was her 60th birthday that prompted her to reflect and ultimately decide she needed a change.

How Hoda Kotb explained her exit from Today

“I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new,” she said during Thursday morning’s broadcast. “I remembered standing outside looking at these beautiful bunch of people with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, ‘This is what the top of the wave feels like for me.’ And I thought it can’t get better, and I decided that this is the right time for me to kind of move on.”

The news anchor also noted her daughters, 7-year-old Haley and 5-year-old Hope, as part of the reason why she decided to leave Today.

“Obviously I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have,” she said. “I feel like we only have a finite amount of time.”

She added, “And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world.”

How long will she be on the air and what will be her new role?

Kotb will be on air until Jan. 1, after which she will transition into an unspecified role at NBC.

“It’s kind of a big deal for me,” she said, tearing up. “I’ve been practicing so I wouldn’t cry, but anyway, I did.”

Kotb has beed a part of NBC News for almost three decades, working on shows like Dateline and later, as co-host of the fourth hour of Today, initially with Kathie Lee Gifford and then Jenna Bush Hager.

She’s co-anchored the primary hours of Today (7 a.m. to 9 a.m.) with Savannah Guthrie for more than five years.

What may be the real reason behind her departure

Before the announcement was made on-air, a source told Page Six that “Kotb made the decision after recently moving to the suburbs with her two daughters.”

“It’s heartbreaking for everyone, but Hoda wants to be able to walk her kids to school,” the outlet’s source said, adding that producers are hoping she will stay on the show in “some capacity.”

“We have time to work it out,” they added.