TORONTO - When people think of the career of legendary broadcast journalist Barbara Walters, they usually look to her successes, of which there are many.
The illustrious media personality became the first female co-anchor of a network news program. She has landed interviews with heads of state and every U.S. president since Richard Nixon. And she's well-known for her intimate, sometimes tear-filled chats with celebrities.
But Walters is the first to admit that her career has had both highs and lows, and she'll discuss how to balance the two when she delivers a speech at a motivational conference next week in Toronto.
"When young people, especially young women, occasionally come up to me and say, 'Oh, I want to be you,' I say, 'OK, but you have to have the whole package,"' Walters said in a phone interview ahead of her appearance next Tuesday at the "Power Within" event at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
"And what I'll be talking about is the whole package: the successes, the failures, the things I've learned. I will be reading from some of the interviews that I've done . . . that have to do with everything from balancing your life to failure and to survival."
Walters, who was born in Brookline, Mass., will be joined by American swimming star Michael Phelps at the convention, which will also include experts in leadership, corporate responsibility and personal finance.
Walters says much of the content of her 45-minute speech is echoed in her autobiography, "Audition: A Memoir," which continues to make bestseller lists.
"I think one of the reasons (the memoir) is so successful is that it's been very honest and very frank and people realize that it has not just been a beautiful, glossy life and I hope there's a good deal that people can relate to," the veteran broadcaster said over the line from an ABC News office in New York.
The autobiography made headlines when it was released because of its revelation that Walters had an affair with Senator Edward Brooke in the 1970s, when he was married and she was co-host of NBC's "Today" show, where she got her big break.
Walters admits that when the book was first published, she felt that she had revealed too much in it.
"I did, but on the other hand I think if I was going to tell the package it has to be the whole package, otherwise it's just, you know, 'And then I interviewed, and then I interviewed,' and that's sort of a bore," said Walters, who was on ABC's newsmagazine "20/20" for 25 years and now co-hosts the daytime talk show "The View," of which she is also co-creator and co-executive producer.
She's also well known for her annual "Top 10 Most Fascinating People" TV special and says she just finished taping the 2008 edition this week in California.
The names of many high-profile personalities Walters has interviewed - hundreds of them - are listed on the front and back inside covers of the book, and Walters says some of them surprised her.
"Some of them I can't remember," she admitted. "When I looked, I thought, 'Gee, did I do that?"'
Walters says such memory lapses are a result of not keeping a journal.
"I never kept a diary and I've always regretted it because there's so much I've forgotten," said Walters, who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"The View" is co-hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who is "probably the only really strong conservative, and that makes for a more interesting and exciting program," said Walters.
"I think we are five women with different opinions and different backgrounds, which is what 'The View' is all about," she said. "And the election time, it makes for even more exciting conversation and our opinions are stronger. We like each other very much."
Walters didn't have much comment, however, on former co-host Star Jones who recently told Essence magazine that "The View" panellists "were hateful" to her as she was leaving.
"Star Jones has not been on 'The View' for four years. We have moved on and I hope Star does too," said Walters. "I wish Star well."
