The return of Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts (VIDEO)

Here's how Robin Roberts made her celebrated return to ABC's Good Morning America on Wednesday.

"Hi, it's Robin. And I have been waiting 174 days to say this: Good morning America!"

Almost six months after leaving ABC’s Good Morning America to battle a life-threatening illness, Roberts is back on the air.

Fans cheered Roberts on from Times Square, and Good Morning America's cast and crew applauded Roberts' inspiring comeback.

“After 173 very long days, it’s beautiful to get back to business as usual with our full team and two more wonderful regulars,” Ben Sherwood, the president of ABC News said in an interview before Wednesday’s broadcast, according to The New York TImes. 

Last year Roberts was diagnosed with a form of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of blood and bone marrow diseases that cripple the healthy production of blood cells. Chemotherapy and radiation treatment are both risk factors for developing the disease, and The Times noted that Roberts' illness was likely the result of her breast cancer treatment five years prior.

But Roberts recovered, and that's why Times Square, ABC and fans accross America cheered her long-awaited return.  

Not a bad way to start the morning. 

Watch Roberts' triumphant return to television here: