Lara Spencer to undergo hip replacement surgery at 47

May 2, 2011. Television hostess Lara Spencer arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit celebrating the opening of Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, in New York. (Reuters)

Lara Spencer announced on Thursday morning that she’ll be undergoing hip replacement surgery this Saturday.

“I waited for a long time before I did anything about it or told anyone because it’s an old person’s problem and I just couldn’t believe it,” the “Good Morning America” co-anchor shared on the ABC show.

Spencer, 47, has led a very active lifestyle — having once been a competitive diver at Penn State. Today, she’s an avid tennis player. “I love sports, I love being active, I love challenging myself,” she said. “I was a jock growing up from the time I could walk.”

Dr. Peter Moley tells the show that 10 percent of all hip-replacement patients are under the age of 50.

Spencer said she has a genetic predisposition to hip dysplasia. “It was embarrassing to share and then I realized there is nothing to be embarrassed about,” she said.

“If you don’t talk about it, you can’t fix it, so I’m happy if I can save one person from not having to go through the pain,” Spencer explained.

As the mother of two painted, the pain had become too difficult to manage. “There is no ignoring it at this point,” Spencer said. “I just want to say anybody out there who suffers with chronic pain, I feel you. It takes over your life. It affects you emotionally, mentally, physically. You cannot sleep. It’s hard to think about. It’s gnawing at you all the time.”

Although she’s a competitive athlete, she’s “terrified” to go under the knife. But as ABC News Chief Women’s Health Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton explains, "Spencer will be walking on her new hip the same day as surgery. She can expect to undergo another three to six months of rehabilitation."

“What I wish I would have done is just taken care of this sooner and spoken up,” Spencer noted.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post’s Page Six.