10 Things You Didn't Know About Victor Blackwell

Victor Blackwell is co-anchor on "New Day Weekend" with Christi Paul Saturdays and Sundays at 6 am ET.

When Victor isn't anchoring, he is digging for the next big investigative story. He has taken the lead on some of CNN's proudest work– most memorably the unsolved death of Georgia high schooler Kendrick Johnson.

But there's a lot more to Victor than news– here he shares 10 things you didn't know about him:

1. A restauranteur in Jacksonville, Fla. once featured a dessert named after me. It was a cinnamon-raisin bread pudding wrapped in a sweet tortilla and served with a rum dipping sauce

2. My first live concert was by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, It was a gift for my 10th birthday. Nancy Wilson was my second concert, for my 13th birthday. I asked for both

3. I don't drink coffee. My mug on the anchor desk is filled with room-temperature water

4. I collect neckties. It makes sense for the job. I own more than 300 of them

5. In 2007, I underwent laparoscopic gastric banding. I've lost more than 130 pounds

6. I've donated more than 100 suits, blazers, shirts, etc. to Suited for Success, a Florida- based non-profit that helps men re-enter the workforce after being released from prison

7. In 2001, I was a contestant on the college edition of Wheel of Fortune. I won $2, 300

8. Every year, my friends and I eat my birthday cake with our hands. It started as a goofy idea in college and it stuck

9. I collect and frame currency from every country I visit. I'm up to 20, now. The Kenyan Schilling is my favorite

10. I was a mall Easter bunny on spring break one year during high school. I earned $78 a day

Connect with Victor!

Twitter!

Facebook!

____