(WLTX) - This certainly isn't an easy bit of news for us to pass along.
News19 anchor Andrea Mock will be leaving News19 later this month, she announced to viewers Tuesday afternoon.
Mock has been a familiar face to all of you for 10 years, anchoring Friends at 5 with Darci Strickland and News19 at 11 with J.R. Berry. But recently, her son Brady started school full time, and she decided she needed to be home with him at night.
"Working 3 to midnight when you have a baby that goes to school 8 to 3 is just not easy," Mock explained to viewers, "I love WLTX and meeting the wonderful people of the Midlands and telling their stories, but I need to be a mom first."
The decision was not easy for her. Mock said, "Journalism has always been my passion. I can't even say the past ten years have felt like work. What a blessing to love my job that much! I will miss seeing my dear freinds Darci and JR every day, but I won't be leaving Columbia. I love this city too much. It's home." Mock has taken a job as the Vice President for Public Relations and Communications for South Carolina Chamber of Commerce.
"I've never felt more at home any place I've ever lived in my entire life or been more welcomed or loved than this area," Mock said, "I'm excited to work at the Chamber and grow the SC business community."
Mock plans to keep in touch with WLTX viewers on her facebook page and even make occasional appearances on WLTX.