Lunden Looking Forward To Sleeping In Past 3:30 A.M.

Joan Lunden has only a couple of mornings to go after 17 years co-anchoring “Good Morning America.”

That being the case, her viewers might ponder just what is the secret of her tenure - unrivaled, as it is, in network morning TV.

I did. My conclusion: Her eyes.

There’s something about her eyes.

Upstaged they may be by Lunden’s signature sunny smile.

But when it isn’t the time to smile, it’s her eyes that say why, and maybe better than words or pictures could.

Joan Lunden’s eyes, when you connect with them, can break your heart.

Which they did again this week as she co-anchored “GMA’s” coverage after the death of Princess Diana. Lunden’s eyes captured the sadness her viewers felt.

But when Lunden sat for an interview a couple of weeks ago to discuss her getting-nearer-by-the-moment departure, The Smile was a fixture on her face.

“I will admit to you that I took my appointment book and found Sept. 5 and wrote, ‘NO MORE WAKEUPS!’, and I’ve been counting down,” she said.

That unmerciful morning wakeup has come at 3:30 a.m. since before her three daughters were born - and her eldest, Jamie, is 17 years old.

“I’m not leaving because the ratings are down but because I wanted off that schedule,” Lunden said. “I’m leaving because it’s time, maybe a little more than time. I’ve known for the last two years that I should probably move on.

“But when you’ve done something that’s so successful for so long, when you have this incredible seat from which to view the world, and you finally come off of it to go do something else, what is there that’s bigger and better?

“Finding it has been a fear of mine and has probably kept me from making a move for a while.”