Maria Menounos Reveals She Was Diagnosed With a Brain Tumor

Maria Menounos was diagnosed with a brain tumor while she was caring for her mother, who has stage 4 brain cancer.

“I didn’t cry. I actually laughed,” the TV and Sirius XM host told People. “It’s so surreal and crazy and unbelievable that my mom has a brain tumor — and now I have one too?”

Menounos said she began experiencing strange symptoms in February, and an MRI found that she had a golf-ball-size tumor in her brain that affected her facial nerves.

“I’d been getting lightheaded on set and having headaches,” she said. “My speech had gotten slurred and I was having difficulty reading the teleprompter.”

She had the tumor, which was benign, removed in a 7-hour surgery in June.

Now recovering from the surgery, Menounos is also stepping down from E! News after three years.

“I am so grateful for the past three years at E!. I had such an amazing time co-hosting with Jason Kennedy and working everyday with the wonderful roster of talent on the show including producers, staff and crew. It was such a special, good-hearted group and one I’ll always consider family,” she said in a statement. “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. I will truly miss everyone and looking forward to this next chapter in my life.”