CNN anchor Christi Paul delivered an emotional goodbye to viewers and fans last weekend, announcing she’s leaving her role to prioritize family. Paul, who hosts “New Day Weekend,” is departing CNN to head back to Ohio, where she will take a currently undisclosed job.

She said she and her husband started reevaluating their priorities after the pandemic separated them from their families and her husband had a severe case of COVID-19, Mediaite reported.

“It was really bad for about three-and-a-half weeks, and there were moments I thought I was going to be a single mom, especially when I had to take him to the ER,” she said. Despite loving her job, Paul said everything pointed back to a need to prioritize her children, family, and husband over her career.

“I love this place. I am so grateful, and I’m so tired. I’m so exhausted. We’re up between 1:00 and 2:00 every Saturday and Sunday,” she said. “And I just could not be who I needed to be for my family, is what it really came down to.” The anchor said she was “tired of being tired” and had to make the best choice for her loved ones.

“I am part of the Great Resignation.” Here is @NewDay Weekend co-anchor @Christi_Paul‘s announcement about giving up the early morning grind and moving home to Ohio pic.twitter.com/gVF2vbOyY5

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 26, 2022

“Nobody else is going to be my kids’ mom,” she said as she became tearful. “And nobody else is going to be my husband’s wife or my parent’s children, and I need to be fully present there.” Paul is a Christian who has openly discussed her faith. In fact, she wrote the 2013 book “Love Isn’t Supposed to Hurt” about the abuse she once endured. “You need to be able to see yourself how God sees you, not in a way that reflects what you have been told,” she once said in a “700 Club” interview.

Paul isn’t the first person to voluntarily leave her job, and she won’t be the last. The Great Resignation, also known as The Big Quit, is a trend where employees voluntarily resign from their job in masse. Reasons for leaving their job vary from wage stagnation to job dissatisfaction and COVID-19 safety concerns. Some economists have compared it to a strike.

The COVID-19 pandemic allowed a lot of people to rethink their careers. Like Paul, some people realized that their family was more important than their career, so it made more sense to walk away. Especially in an industry that’s so demanding, like the news industry. In these times, people are looking for more of a work-life balance. In her goodbye message, Paul said she felt she couldn’t be who she needed to be for her family due to her job.

Walking away from a career that you’ve had for a long time isn’t easy. However, you do what you have to do for the betterment of your family. After watching her husband go through his severe case of COVID-19, no doubt seeing that put things into perspective for Paul, and she realized that spending time with her family is more important than anything, including a career.