Vanna White To Host Wheel Of Fortune Solo Starting Dec. 9, After Pat Sajak's Surgery

(CBS) – For the first time in the show's 37-year history, Vanna White will be hosting Wheel of Fortune on her own for the next couple weeks.

Longtime host Pat Sajak, 73, was sidelined last month to undergo emergency surgery for a blocked intestine. The show took one day off from taping, then resumed with White as host. Those episodes begin airing on Monday, December 9.

Disney characters will join White on set during the two week Secret Santa Holiday Giveaway. Don't be surprised if you see them taking turns at the puzzleboard.

As for Sajak's health, he spent a couple days in the hospital before moving his recovery home.

"Recovery will be complete and relatively fast," he said in a statement released by the show. "For better or worse, doctors tell me they did not remove my sense of humor."

White said that hosting without Sajak was "like a word without vowels." Promising to "fill in the blanks" until his return. The pair has co-hosted the long-running game show since the early 80s.

Sajak returned to the Wheel set on December 5, after missing about four weeks of work. Expect to see those episodes in early 2020.

Wheel of Fortune airs at 7 p.m on WBZ-TV, Monday through Saturday.