Maria Menounos has been battling brain cancer secretly for months and just revealed her diagnosis to People magazine after undergoing a successful surgery earlier this month.
The E! News host’s diagnosis came about a year after her mother was diagnosed with brain cancer.
“I didn’t cry. I actually laughed,” Menounos said of learning she had stage four brain cancer. “It’s so surreal and crazy and unbelievable that my mom has a brain tumor — and now I have one too?”
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Menounos first suspected something could be wrong after experiencing symptoms such as headaches, lightheadedness and slurred speech. The TV personality went in for an MRI which revealed a golf ball-sized meningioma brain tumor pushing on her facial nerves. Menounos scheduled a surgical procedure with her mother’s neurosurgeon and 99.9 percent of the cancer was successfully removed.
“He said there’s a six to seven percent chance that we’ll see it come back. But I’ll take those odds any day,” Menounos told People.
E! News officially announced that Menounos would be stepping down from her role as co-anchor on Monday.
“Our thoughts and support go out to Maria and her family and we wish them all the best knowing that Maria will tackle this with the same fierce dedication she is known for,” E! president Adam Stotsky said in a statement. “We are grateful for Maria’s many contributions to E! over the past three years.”
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“I am so grateful for the past three years at E!. I had such an amazing time co-hosting with Jason Kennedy and working every day with the wonderful roster of talent on the show including producers, staff and crew,” Menounos stated.
“It was such a special, good-hearted group and one I’ll always consider family. A special thank you to Frances Berwick and Adam Stotsky for all the support they have shown me through the years especially during these tough times, Menounos continued. “I will truly miss everyone and looking forward to this next chapter in my life.”