(Bloomberg) – Robert Benmosche, who is stepping down this weekend after five years as American International Group Inc.'s chief executive officer, said he learned in May that he had nine months to a year to live.

Benmosche, 70, said in an interview that he moved up his exit, which had been slated for early 2015, as his health deteriorated. The CEO, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, said he wants to enjoy the time he has left after outliving earlier prognoses and repaying the insurer's $182.3 billion U.S. bailout.

“I said, 'You know what, I'm not going to play the odds,'” Benmosche said in an exclusive interview with Bloomberg Television's Betty Liu at his villa in Croatia. “So let's accelerate my retirement. And the board was happy to do that.”

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