Elisabeth Hasselbeck Endorses Whoopi for The View

By Jeffrey Slonim

Monday July 30, 2007 07:30 AM EDT

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Elisabeth Hasselbeck is remaining coy about reports that Sherri Shepherd and Whoopi Goldberg will be announced as her new co-hosts on The View – but she did give a ringing endorsement of Whoopi.

"I loved working with Whoopi Goldberg," the pregnant Hasselbeck told PEOPLE at Super Saturday in Watermill, N.Y., during a fundraiser for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund over the weekend.

"She is soulful, has a world of experience to bring to the table, and I don't sense any sort of political agenda," she added. "She is so funny, but at the same time, she is one of the most thoughtful people that I've met."

The comments seem to be in direct contrast to Hasselbeck's feelings about Rosie O'Donnell, with whom she famously clashed on political issues before O'Donnell abruptly left the show.

Meanwhile, bump clearly visible, Hasselbeck herself will likely take maternity leave from the show in a matter of months. "The pregnancy is going well," she said. "Today, with the heat, I'm sweating. But this is the first time I've actually felt pregnant. I feel really great. I pay less attention to the pregnancy the second time around, because I have a daughter, I'm busy with another child."

Asked if Barbara Walters is also a fan of Goldberg, Hasslebeck told PEOPLE, "You'd have to ask Barbara. But I'm sure she is. Who isn't into Whoopi? She's an amazing person."