Anderson Cooper's parting words as he quits '60 Minutes' after two decades

American journalist Anderson Cooper has signed off from 60 Minutes after 20 years as a correspondent.

His final appearance aired on the May 17 season finale, where he reported on London’s taxi industry and the rise of autonomous vehicles. CBS later released an extended farewell interview with him.

Cooper became emotional during his final on-air sign-off, struggling to hold back tears as he delivered his closing line, “I’m Anderson Cooper,” repeating it three times as is tradition for the show.

In the extended interview, he looked back on some dangerous assignments as he went down memory lane, including diving with Nile crocodiles and riding a jet ski through heavy waves in Portugal for the programme.

He also touched upon his interviews with high-profile figures such as Prince Harry and Lady Gaga, but said some of the most meaningful moments came from speaking with ordinary people, including individuals working to fight child malnutrition in Niger.

Cooper said the job "never felt like work" and more like being "invited into people’s homes" and personal stories.

"You're invited into their struggles, you're invited into whatever it is that has brought them to be on 60 Minutes," Cooper explained.

He also spoke about the challenge of balancing his work at CNN with his reporting for 60 Minutes, saying it required frequent travel and working on weekends.

"The whole time I've done pieces for 60 Minutes, my full-time job has been over at CNN and still is. And it's been really challenging to do the kind of work you need to do to have a great 60 Minutes piece," Cooper said.

He continued, "CNN doesn't like it if I take a lot of time off to work on a 60 Minutes piece, so I've worked mostly for 60 Minutes on weekends. My vacation time at CNN has been working on 60 Minutes pieces. And I've loved it, but it's been tough."

Cooper said he realised it was time to step away from the CBS News gig to watch his sons, Wyatt and Sebastian, grow up.

"I've got a 4-year-old and a just now 6-year-old, and I want to spend as much time with them as I can while they still want to spend time with me," Cooper said. "And those days, that clock is ticking, I think."

"I hope 60 Minutes is around for when my kids grow up and have kids of their own, and they can watch it with their kids," he added.

In a February statement, CBS said, "we're grateful to [Cooper] for dedicating so much of his life to this broadcast, and understand the importance of spending more time with family," adding, "60 Minutes will be here if he ever wants to return."

Cooper will continue in his role as anchor of CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360°. He first joined 60 Minutes in 2006 and has been a regular correspondent ever since.